Center on Wrongful Convictions
The Florida Exonerated: Willie Brown and Larry Troy

Willie Brown and Larry Troy were sentenced
to death in 1983 and was exonerated in 1988

Willie Brown and co-defendant Larry Troy were sentenced to death for the murder of a fellow inmate in Florida’s Union Correctional Institution. The conviction was based entirely upon the testimony of another prisoner who testified that he saw them leave the victim’s cell shortly before his body was discovered. A German anti-death-penalty activist took an interest in the case and, fitted with a hidden microphone, obtained an admission from the witness that he had lied about the two men’s involvement. The witness was then convicted of perjury and Messrs. Brown and Troy were released. Brown is African American, the victim Caucasian.

Last Modified: January 21, 2003

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