Betty Tyson

Betty Tyson (née Dove) (June 29, 1948 – August 17, 2023) was a black woman known for her wrongful conviction in the murder of 52-year-old businessman Timothy Haworth in 1973 in Rochester, New York. Tyson, who was 24 at the time of her arrest, spent 25 years in prison, becoming New York State's longest-serving female inmate until her release on May 28, 1998. Her case prompted allegations of police misconduct, coerced testimony, and the exposure of evidence fabrication by a detective, leading to her eventual exoneration. After her release, Tyson struggled financially but was known for her positive transformation in prison, where she found religion, earned a general equivalency diploma, and acquired various vocational skills. She is considered to be a symbol of the potential for miscarriages of justice within the American legal system.

References

  1. ↑ "Betty Tyson - National Registry of Exonerations". www.law.umich.edu. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Roberts, Sam (August 22, 2023). "Betty Tyson, Who Was Wrongfully Imprisoned for Murder, Dies at 75". The New York Times. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  3. ↑ Gross, Jane (May 28, 1998). "Conviction Canceled, She Is Free For the First Time in 25 Years (Published 1998)". The New York Times. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  4. ↑ Dobbin, Ben (December 19, 1999). "Woman's Years in Prison Make Freedom Tough". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Betty Tyson, who spent 25 years in prison for wrongful conviction, dies at age 75". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  6. ↑ Isaac, Taunja (January 1, 2014). "MINUS 25 Betty Tyson". Rochester Institute of Technology. Theses.