Death row exonerees to share their stories for Kent State

Rebecca Reis

Students and faculty will have the opportunity to hear from two men who were wrongly convicted and sent to death row. Death row exonerees Joe D’Ambrosio and Dale Johnston will each talk about their experiences on death row at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Kiva.

The talk is sponsored by the groups Ohioans to Stop Executions and Witness to Innocence. According to witnesstoinnocence.org, Johnston was sentenced to death in 1984 for the murder of his daughter and her boyfriend. The conviction was overturned in 1988 by the Ohio Supreme Court.

According to cleveland.com, D’Ambrosio was sentenced to death in 1989 for the murder of Anthony Klann of Cleveland. His conviction was overturned in 2006, and he was freed in 2009.

D’Ambrosio and Johnston are speaking as part of the 25th Anniversary Innocence Tour to teach others about the issues surrounding the death penalty. Their testimonies will be followed by a question and answer session.

Contact Rebecca Reis at [email protected].