Michael Hash

“Yesterday was a wonderful day. We were able to take Michael home and have our first family dinner in almost 12 years.” – Jeff and Pam Hash, Michael’s parents

Sabrina Hash, 9, hugs her uncle, Michael Wayne Hash after his release from the Albemarle RegionaJail Wednesday, March 14, 2012. His conviction for a 1996 killing was overturned earlier by a judge citing police and prosecutorial misconduct. At right is his father, Douglas Hash.In 2012, twelve years after Michael Hash was wrongly imprisoned for capital murder, he was able to return home to his family.

When Hash was just 19, he was convicted of killing an elderly neighbor and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. He was convicted solely on the testimony of three suspect witnesses – there was no physical evidence linking him to the crime.

The Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project and the law firm Hunton & Williams were able to prove that Hash’s conviction was entirely based on manufactured witness testimony and tainted by extensive police and prosecutorial misconduct, winning a victory in federal court.

More about this case:

National Registry of Exonerations

WJLA – Michael Wayne Hash Won’t Face Retrial

NBC29 – Decision Due on Hash Retrial

Huffington Post – Michael Wayne Hash Free After Judge Slams Official Misconduct in Murder Case, Tosses Life Sentence

Washington Post – Misconduct in a murder investigation?

Washington Post – As murder conviction tossed after 12 years, Va. family hopes son will be home soon