Clemency

Commonwealth v. Michael McAlister, Circuit Court for the City of Richmond.

    On September 24, 1986, Michael McAlister was convicted by a judge of attempted rape and abduction and sentenced to 50 years in prison, with 15 of those years suspended.  Mr. McAlister's appeal was never heard by any court because his attorney missed the filing deadline.  Mr. McAlister entered prison in 1986 and he was denied parole in 1993, even though former prosecutor Joseph Morrissey and former Richmond detective C.M. Martin testified at his parole hearing that they now believed that Mr. McAlister was wrongfully convicted as a result of the victim's misidentification.Mr. Amolsch filed a Clemency Petition on behalf of Mr. McAlister and he was finally released from prison on August 19, 2004.