Jennifer Thompson-Cannino, co-author of “Picking Cotton,” comes to Spokane on April 21st to share an extraordinary human story with deep implications for the justice system.
Twenty five years ago, when she was a college student in North Carolina, Jennifer Thompson-Cannino was raped by a black man. Out of a police line-up she identified 22 year-old Ronald Cotton as her assailant and, based on her testimony, Cotton was sentenced to life plus 50 years in prison. 
Cotton was innocent. Thompson-Cannino’s eye-witness identification was wrong.
Remarkably, even with the real rapist appeared in court next to Cotton in a second trial in 1987, Thompson-Cannino still identified Cotton as the man who assaulted her. It was only at a third trial, with new DNA evidence on hand, that Cotton was finally exonerated.
As CBS correspondent Leslie Stahl found in a story for 60 Minutes that aired in March, the tale of the woman and the man she falsely accused of rape, twice, doesn’t end there. Thompson-Cannino sought Ronald Cotton’s forgiveness and, without hesitation, he offered it to her. The two became close friends and have now written a book, “Picking Cotton,” which describes both their experiences. To view the 60 Minutes story, go here. To go to the website for the book, go here.
The Olympia-based Integrity of Justice Project and Gonzaga University are bringing Thompson-Cannino to speak at GU on the 21st. A session for students is set for noon an evening session for the broader GU community and general public is scheduled for that evening at 5:30 p.m. Both events will be in the Barbieri Moot Court room at the law school.
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