Betty Tyson (June 29, 1948 – August 17, 2023) was a black woman known for her wrongful conviction in the murder of an American businessman in 1973. 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
- "Betty Tyson - National Registry of Exonerations". www.law.umich.edu. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
- 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.
- Dobbin, Ben (December 19, 1999). "Woman's Years in Prison Make Freedom Tough". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
- ^ "Betty Tyson, who spent 25 years in prison for wrongful conviction, dies at age 75". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
- Roberts, Sam (August 22, 2023). "Betty Tyson, Who Was Wrongfully Imprisoned for Murder, Dies at 75". The New York Times. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
- Isaac, Taunja (January 1, 2014). "MINUS 25 Betty Tyson". Rochester Institute of Technology. Theses.
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