A Conversation with two former death row inmates
The Queen Mary Pro Bono Society in association with Amicus ALJ at QM, will be hosting a conversation with former death row inmates Sonia 'Sunny' Jacobs and Peter Pringle, who spent 17 and 15 years on death row in the US and Ireland respectively. They will each will tell their story, followed by a drinks reception.
Money raised from the event will go to Amicus ALJ, a UK charity that helps provide representation for those facing the death penalty in the United States.
Sunny Jacobs had served 17 years before she managed to get her conviction overturned. Sunny and her first husband, Jesse Tafero, were both implicated in the shooting of two police officers in Florida in 1976. Jesse was executed in 1990, despite significant ongoing doubt about his guilt. Sunny's death row ordeal later became one of six stories told through the acclaimed play The Exonerated. The play was also adapted for television with Susan Sarandon playing Sunny's part.
Peter Pringle's story also started with the death of two policemen - this time during a bank raid in Ballaghdereen, Ireland. His conviction was finally quashed after 15 years of incarceration when evidence of his innocence was brought to light, including evidence that his 'confession' had been written before he'd even been interviewed.
Read more about the 'Surviving Death Row' event on 28 February 2013.
