Exonerated Death Row Inmate Calls Out Justice System

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- After more than 10 years behind bars, one man is speaking out against the flaws in the criminal justice system.

According to the national registry of exoneration, one in every 25 people who are sentenced  to death in the United States are later shown to be innocent.

Ray Krone, who is the death row exoneree stated,  “We’ve executed I believe a little over 14 hundred people in this country before the early 70s. At that same time there’s now been 156 exonerations. So basically for every ten people that are executed in this country, some where somebody walks free.”

In December of 1991 Ray Krone found himself being questioned about a murder that took place in a bar in Phoenix, Arizona.

“The bar maid had been found strangled to death in the men’s bathroom, had been assaulted and had a bite mark on her.”

And just two days later, he was arrested based on that bite mark, after the local medical examiner claimed it matched Krone’s teeth.

“Seven months later I was in trial, with a court appointed attorney who really put up no defense. I was convicted in just a three day trial. Sentenced to death.”

Krone spent three years on death row in Arizona. His conviction was later overturned due to withheld evidence, and Krone was offered a new trial. And although, footprints, finger prints and DNA from the bite mark found at the crime scene did not match  Krone, he was still found guilty by the jury, and he was sentenced to life instead.

“Finally after ten years, we were able to get DNA testing done on the victim’s clothing, much to the objection of the prosecutor and the police, the judge finally ordered that testing to be done, and not only did the DNA exclude me, but it actually identified a known sexual assault and child molester, and I was released after 10 years, three months and eight days, based on the results of that DNA testing that had been objected to for years.”

Now a free man, Krone spends his years traveling and making speeches, and Thursday night, he stopped by Chattanooga State Community College to share his story and discuss the failures of the capital punishment system.

“He is a man to be heard and we’re very very fortunate to have had him come to speak to us, and I think there’s not a single person in this room that did not feel moved by his speech because of the truth that he was speaking.”

“You’re gonna have to fix people first, before you can fix this system that’s run by people.”