PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Phillip Scott Cannon was convicted of a triple homicide in Polk County in 2000. He spent 11 years behind bars — but he consistently maintained his innocence. But after years of fighting his case was exonerated after bullets and crime scene photos were lost by the Oregon Department of Justice.
Being wrongfully convicted “sucks,” he said. “It’s probably one of the most helpless feelings you can have.”
He is now working with advocates like Janis Puracal with the Forensic Justice Project, an organization working to stop wrongful convictions from happening in the first place.
Organized crime targeted by Oregon DOJ, Washington County
In 2022, lawmakers passed the Oregon Justice Exonerees Act which would provide wrongfully convicted Oregonians some money if they are exonerated. The act calls for $65,000 for each year a person spent in prison if their wrongful convictions were overturned…