In 2020, the Vanguard covered a series of hearings involving Zachary Vanderhorst, 65, who had been imprisoned for 46 years after guilty pleas he made 1974 for crimes he did not commit.
A judge after a series of evidentiary hearings vacated the murder charges and Vanderhorst after 46 years was able to be released from prison.
This year, a San Francisco judge vacated two of the remaining charges, including rape, Vanderhorst pleaded to when he was just 19.
“The remarkable efforts made to overturn these convictions reminds us of the dire need for the resources to expand post-conviction work and help heal from state violence and racial injustice. Public defenders and our allies are willing and capable of challenging those convictions if provided the resources,” said San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju.
”We know that there are thousands of people, just like Zachary Vanderhorst, along with his family, who continue to suffer the trauma and loss that stem from wrongful convictions, bad plea deals, and excessive punishment,” Raju added.
Listen as Everyday Injustice speaks with Public Defender Rebecca Young, who along with Patrick Murray of Kekar, Van Nest and Peters, utilized SB 1437 to win Vanderhorst’s release in February 2020.
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