Because of this stigma, he refused to have children together with his wife.

Just recently, the conviction of Alice Sebold, who was accused 40 years ago of raping her in "The Lovely Bones", has been overturned.

Anthony Broadwater spent 16 years in prison in 1982 for a crime he didn't commit. A judge exonerated him Monday, AP reported.

Sebold (58) had described the rape in detail in her 1999 memoir "Lucky", which she wrote in 1999. Only recently did the threads of this four-decade-old case begin to unravel when a producer on a film adaptation noticed inconsistencies and started digging.

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Sebold, then 19, describes how a Black man raped her in a tunnel in May 1981. Nobody was ever arrested at that time. However, months later she insists she passed her attacker (whom she gave the pseudonym Gregory Madison) in the street.

"He smiled as he approached. He recognized me. He thought it was a walk in the park. He had just met someone on the street." she wrote. He said, "Hey, girl!" "Don't you know me from somewhere?"

"I looked straight at him. I knew his face was the one over me in the tunnel.

She immediately reported the incident to police. They searched the area but were unable to find him. One officer said Broadwater was in the area at that time and he was taken in for a line-up. Sebold did not initially pick him out.

In her book, she admits that of the five Black men that were presented to her, she chose one man over another because "the expression in my eyes told me that, if we were alone and there was no wall between us that he would call him by his name and then kill"

Moments later, she realized that she had chosen the wrong man as they were "almost identical". Broadwater would be identified by her in court.

The prosecution's case, despite the misidentification at the beginning, would hinge mainly on the police line up and testimony from aforensic chemist who claimed that microscopic hair analysis had tied Broadwater to the crime site. According to AP, this type of forensic analysis was deemed useless science by the Department of Justice and is not used in court.

Broadwater was convicted and sentenced to 16 years imprisonment. Broadwater was also placed on the sex offenders registry for life.

The conviction was only brought up by Tim Mucciante, a producer working on a film adaptation of "Lucky", who noticed inconsistencies in the script and the book.

He told AP that he started to investigate and try to find out the truth.

After giving up on the project, he hired an investigator who then contacted David Hammond, the defense attorney, to take over the case.

Onondaga County District attorney William Fitzpatrick admitted that Monday's court hearing was a success. This is not acceptable. This shouldn't have happened."

He added, per The Post-Standard in Syracuse: "And I will tell Mr. Broadwater that it will not happen again; and that we will never allow junk science to enter a courtroom here in this county."

Supreme Court Justice Gordon Cuffy declared Broadwater a free man after admitting that he couldn't give Broadwater 16 years of his life. Broadwater broke down immediately in tears.

Broadwater, who was emotional, said that he had spoken to him about the wrong done to him. "The relief that such a large district attorney would stand with me in this matter, it's so profound that I don't know how to describe it."

Broadwater was released from prison on New Year's Day 1999. He struggled to find employment after the conviction and was forced to withdraw from society.

He was a trash hauler, and even took on the job of a night security guard to have an alibi in case he was ever charged with another night crime.

Later, he met and married his future wife. She believed him right from the beginning but was reluctant to have children with him due to the stigma they would inherit.

"She wanted children... He cried and said, "I wouldn't bring any children into the world because of this." "And now, we are past the age when we can have children."

Hammond, standing by him, said that "Ruined his lives, his life was ruined over this." "Not only incarceration but also being wrongfully labeled as a sex offender. These are things that he will never be able to get back. This is a simple example of injustice.

Broadwater now wants an apology from Sebold.

He said, "I hope and pray that Ms. Sebold will apologize and admit to having made a serious mistake." She was wrong.

Three years after "Lucky", Sebold published "The Lovely Bones," also about a rape. This film was later made into the multi-award winning 2009 film starring Saoirse Roan, Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz, as well as Stanley Tucci who was nominated to win an Oscar for his performance.

Broadwater's exoneration has not been commented on by Sebold.

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Title: Man Convicted of Raping Lovely Bones Author Alice Sebold Exonerated 40 Years Later After Film Producer Dug Into Story
Sourced From: toofab.com/2021/11/24/man-accused-of-raping-lovely-bones-author-alice-sebold-exonerated/
Published Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2021 20:05:56 +0000

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