Kenneth Webb

Wrongfully convicted: August 10, 1987
Exonerated: November 3, 2022
Washtenaw County

Kenneth Webb was convicted of first-degree murder and armed robbery in 1987 stemming from a 1986 shooting at a pharmacy in Ypsilanti. Webb, who has an intellectual disability and was suffering from a substance addiction, was arrested for drunk driving a month later. Police alleged he confessed to the Ypsilanti pharmacy shooting, though he tried to recant soon afterward.  Nevertheless, the false confession led to Webb being convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole. 

The Innocence Clinic began investigating Webb’s case in 2022 and the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office Conviction Integrity Unit later agreed to join the investigation. The Innocence Clinic and the CIU discovered that Webb had a strong alibi defense, which was bolstered by new evidence. Webb’s confession also bore the hallmarks of a false confession, and the detectives who obtained that confession are now known to have engaged in misconduct that undermines their credibility.

The Innocence Clinic and the CIU filed a joint motion to vacate Webb’s conviction and dismiss all charges. A judge granted the motion on November 3, 2022, and Webb was released from prison and exonerated that same day. 

More details available at:

The National Registry of Exonerations: Kenneth Webb