On a summer night in July of 1984, Jennifer Thompson is woken up at 3 AM to a man in her room, saying “scream and I’ll kill you.” He rapes her in her own home. Thompson escaped out the back door and ran to her neighbors house to call the police. After going to the police station to give a statement, Jennifer also works with a sketch artist to develop a composite for her rapist (Thompson-Canino, Cotton, & Torneo, 2009).
After being tipped off that the sketch is possibly Ronald Cotton, the police execute a search warrant on Cotton’s home. After coming home and finding the search warrant, Cotton goes to the police station to prove his innocence. While at the station, Cotton accidentally gives a false alibi. After this, Cotton is arrested and charged with the rape of Jennifer Thompson (Thompson-Canino et. al, 2009).
Later, Jennifer learns that a second woman had been raped by the same man. This fueled her energy to find her rapist. Thompson goes to the police station and does two lineups: a photo one and a physical one. She identifies Cotton both times. The other victim, Mary, is unable to make an identification (Thompson-Canino et. al, 2009).
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At the probable cause hearing, Jennifer testifies against Cotton. After the hearing, Ronald Cotton is charged with first-degree rape, first-degree breaking and entering, and first-degree sexual offense. He is held on a $450,000 bond.
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The trial begins on January 7, 1985. Jennifer testifies at the trial and in the courtroom, identifies Cotton once again. After deliberating for 40 minutes, the jury found Ronald Cotton guilty. On January 18, 1985, Cotton is sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. The judge said Cotton is a “physically capable criminal with abnormal and dangerous sexual tendencies” (Thompson-Canino et. al, 2009).
While in prison, Cotton runs into a man named Bobby Poole. Poole allegedly confesses to another inmate about the rapes. Cotton writes a letter to his lawyers about the inmate Bobby Poole (Thompson-Canino et. al, 2009).
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At the beginning of his second year in prison, Ronald Cotton receives a letter from the Supreme Court of North Carolina saying his conviction had been overturned due to a mistake in the evidence. Cotton is granted a new trial that begins in November of 1987. This time however, Cotton was being charged with the rape of Mary Reynolds after she claimed she knew it was Cotton but was too scared to identify him three years prior (Thompson-Canino et. al, 2009).
An all-white jury is selected for the second trial. The trial begins and both Jennifer and Mary testify against Cotton. They make an identification in court. At the second trial, Cotton’s lawyer motion for a voir dire examination of Bobby Poole. The jury is not present during Poole’s testimony. At the end, the judge decides to suppress any evidence regarding Poole. Cotton is convicted once again, this time for the rapes of both Thompson and Reynolds. He is sentenced to two life sentences plus 180 years (Thompson-Canino et. al, 2009).
In August of 1990, Cotton’s appeals are denied by the North Carolina court of appeals and his conviction is upheld. With the OJ Simpson trial making headlines throughout the country, Cotton’s interest is sparked in DNA. Cotton’s request DNA testing through his lawyers (Thompson-Canino et. al, 2009).
In 1995, the DNA evidence from Thompson’s rape kit is tested and Cotton’s DNA came back as not a match. In June of 1995, Cotton is told that Poole confesses to the rapes, leading to release and exoneration of Ronald Cotton (Thompson-Canino et. al, 2009).
References:
Thompson-Canino, J., Cotton, R., & Torneo, E. (n.d.). Case File. Picking Cotton: A Memoir by Jennifer Thompson & Ronald Cotton with Erin Torneo. Retrieved from https://www.pickingcottonbook.com/case-file
Thompson-Cannino, J., Cotton, R., & Torneo, E. (2009). Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.
Picking Cotton 