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Falsely accused – White Lies

News
20 March 2024
Prosecuted and convicted.
collage of actors

The plot continues to thicken in White Lies. Edie is hell-bent on finding the killer and clearing her nephew and niece’s names. 

While we wait for the outcome of the case, here’s a look at individuals around the world who have gone through the trauma of being falsely accused and convicted of murders they didn't commit.

The Central Park Five

In 1989 a young woman (Trisha Meili) jogging in New York’s Central Park was raped and beaten nearly to death. Five Black and Latino teenagers who became known as the “Central Park Five” were wrongfully convicted and served time for the crime. In 2002 all were cleared after Matias Reyes, a convicted murderer and serial rapist, confessed to the crime.

James Richardson

When his seven children were poisoned and killed in 1967, James Richardson from Florida was found guilty and convicted of the murder.

After spending 21 years behind bars for the ghastly crime, Richardson was exonerated in 1989 when his case was revisited by Miami-Dade County prosecutor Janet Reno. The Richardson’s babysitter Betsy Reese later admitted to poisoning the kids to a nursing employee.  

Samuel Ntshavheni Nndwambi

Samuel Ntshavheni Nndwambi, a South African man, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for murder in 2006. In 2016 Nndwambi was cleared of the crime after a lengthy and costly appeal process.

Nie Shubin

In 2016 China’s Supreme Court exonerated Nie Shubin who had been wrongfully convicted of rape and murder in 1995. Even though a man named Wang Shujin confessed to the murder in 2005, it took 11 more years of campaigning to clear Shubin’s name.

Who do you think is guilty beyond reasonable doubt? Watch White Lies every Thursday at 20:00 on M-Net channel 101. You can also stream it on DStv Stream or watch it on DStv Catch Up. Join the conversation on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok using #WhiteLiesSA.