Jerome Campbell’s case includes the worst elements of the death penalty as it is practiced in the United States: a faulty eyewitness, jailhouse snitches, and ineffective legal representation for a defendant who could not afford an attorney. Moreover, Hamilton County’s case against Campbell relied on evidence that was highly circumstantial:

1. Fingerprints – A fingerprint and palm print of Campbell were found on a lightbulb and back kitchen door, respectively, at the apartment building of victim John Henry Turner. However, Campbell had lived in that same building until about a month earlier. The fingerprints came from common areas and were not dated. Campbell’s fingerprints were not found in Turner’s apartment or on the murder weapon. Many other prints were found in the apartment, but were never tested.

2. Shoes – The stabbing of Mr. Turner was so bloody that it left pools of blood and bloody shoeprints around Turner’s body. Drips of blood found on Campbell’s gym shoes were presented in court. Campbell maintained it was his own blood, shed when he cut his finger. When Campbell’s shoe was DNA tested last summer, the results found that it was, in fact, Campbell’s own blood. He had been telling the truth all along. Additionally, Campbell’s shoeprints did not match those at the crime scene. This, however, was never told to the jury.

3. Faulty witness - The closest thing prosecutors had to an eyewitness was Donna Roberts, who did not actually witness the crime. Her testimony only placed him in the area – an area that was his own neighborhood. Roberts said that, after returning from the bar at 1a.m., she saw someone leaning against a vacant building. Five days later, investigators returned to her apartment and showed her a picture of Campbell. In a pre-trial hearing, Officer Jim Lawson testified that Roberts provided Campbell’s name. However, Roberts testified that was untrue; she only later heard rumors that Campbell did it. Furthermore, Lawson’s testimony conflicted with testimony of Officer Zieverink, who said the identification process took place downtown. The identification was improper and suggestive and the investigators themselves were inconsistent.

4. Jailhouse snitches - Ronys Clardy was on parole and charged with two counts of aggravated robbery. Clardy told the jury Campbell had confessed to stabbing Turner in the stomach and cutting his throat. The only problem was the coroner’s report showed Turner wasn’t stabbed in the stomach, nor was his throat cut. After testifying against Campbell, all felony charges against Clardy were dismissed. Angelo Roseman also testified that Campbell confessed while both were incarcerated in the Justice Center. Also on parole, Roseman faced a 3-15 year sentence for a theft charge. The day after Roseman testified in court against Campbell, he plead guilty to a reduced charge, smiling as he said he understood the plea he had signed. His sentence was 180 days in jail – time he had already served.

5. A bloody glove and bloodstained black hat were found by investigators at the crime scene, but the jury never heard about these items. Had such evidence been incriminating, surely the prosecutors would have used it. The bloody glove, bloody hat, and other fingerprints could be DNA tested today, but records show all articles with biological material were destroyed by police 15 months after Campbell’s trial. It is not official policy to destroy bloodstained evidence so soon after a trial, Hamilton County Prosecutor Mike Allen said. Evidence in death penalty cases is kept as long as 30 years.