Arrested at 19 years old, Jason Carroll, has been in prison for 34 years for the murder of Sharon Johnson in Bedford, New Hampshire, a murder he did not commit. The only evidence linking him to the crime was his coerced confession, a story Jason provided under emotional duress and at the insistence of his own mother who was a Bedford police officer.
You may be familiar with Jason’s fight for freedom, either through our blog post, “Trying to Untell a Story: Our Fight for Jason Carroll,” or through the popular podcasts, Bear Brook Season 2, “A True Crime Story” and Undisclosed, “State v. Jason Carroll”. We wanted to share with you some updates on his case, which is still ongoing.
Permission to Test for DNA
As was documented in Season 2 of the Bear Brook podcast, after years of legal and investigative work led by NEIP Staff Attorney Cynthia Mousseau and a team of pro bono attorneys at Foley Hoag, in October of 2022, we were alerted to the existence of a box of case evidence in the basement of a New Hampshire courthouse, evidence we thought may have been destroyed. In the box were items that could help prove Jason’s innocence, including items from the crime scene and fingernail clippings taken from the victim. We immediately filed for permission to test the items for DNA.
A Second Box of Evidence
In December 2023, we were scheduled for a hearing where the court would decide if Jason would be allowed to test the items for DNA, something the state has resisted from the beginning. However, only days prior to the hearing, we learned that a second box of evidence from the case had been found!
Despite having waited so long to get a hearing just to decide if we could move forward with DNA testing, we knew that we needed more time to not only examine the second box, but to make sure there was no other evidence out there that might be able to help Jason prove his innocence. It was a tough decision, but we were able to postpone the hearing and successfully argue for Court-ordered searches to be conducted by state and local police departments for any additional case evidence. This included providing details about where they searched and who performed the searches.
We Will be Ready
Since the Court order, state and local police have found and provided our team with hundreds of pages of documents, electronic and video recordings, and access to the second box of evidence.
It should not have taken so many years to get this evidence, but we are glad Jason finally has access to it. We are now getting ready to explain to the Court why it is so critical that Jason be allowed to test the physical evidence for DNA. It is not only important for Jason but for so many people in New Hampshire to understand the truth about this case. Our hearing is now scheduled to begin on April 30, and we will be ready.
Jason has hope, perhaps for the first time in decades, that this evidence will help prove his innocence and play a crucial role in his journey to freedom. We are inspired by the continued support of our community in our fight for justice for Jason. We will never stop until he is free and can come home to his family.
Learn More About Jason’s Story
Trying to untell a story
I have yet to meet one person that believes they would confess to a serious crime they didn’t commit. Yet, it happens all the time. In fact, there have been approximately 375 exonerations due to DNA evidence since 1989 and in 29% of those cases, the exoneree had given a false confession. This means that almost one out of three DNA exonerations involved a false confession. And these statements have a tremendous impact in a courtroom. Confessions are so powerful, in fact, that juries will often discount actual physical evidence if it contradicts the confession. Just ask Jeffrey Deskovic who, at 16, confessed to the rape and murder of a classmate. Even though DNA from the semen taken from the victim’s body didn’t match Jeff, the jury convicted him. Jeff wasn’t exonerated until 15 years later when further DNA testing showed that the semen belonged to a known murderer who eventually confessed to the crime.
Our client, Jason Carroll, definitely didn’t think he would ever confess to something he didn’t do. And even after he told police the story they wanted to hear, hoping the truth would come out in the end, he never believed a jury would ignore the fact that his statements didn’t match the undisputed evidence in the case and convict him. But that’s exactly what happened. Click to continue.
Watch our video below, an excerpt from our annual event, “Voices of the Innocent,” hear directly from Staff Attorney Cynthia Mousseau, Jason’s sister Jackie, and Jason’s friends and learn more about Jason’s case.
Bear Brook, Season 2: “A True Crime Story”
Season Two of NHPR’s Jason Moon’s podcast, Bear Brook: A True Crime Story delves into the murder of Sharon Johnson and how a false confession, a story Jason provided under emotional duress, led to his wrongful conviction.
We are grateful to people who amplify stories of wrongful conviction and the long journeys to freedom. If you haven’t listened to Bear Brook Season 2 and want an exclusive behind the scenes look, please tune in and share it with your friends and family.
Bear Brook: “A True Crime Story” Behind the Scenes
Video of our Live Virtual Event
Did you miss our exclusive live virtual event with Bear Brook Podcast creator, Jason Moon and NEIP Staff Attorney, Cynthia Mousseau, who represents Jason in his fight for freedom? You can now watch and share the video.
