In a significant milestone, 200 individuals who were sentenced to death have been exonerated since 1973, the beginning of the modern era of capital punishment. These exonerees were wrongfully convicted, often due to misconduct by government officials or other factors, and were released after spending years, sometimes decades, in prison.

Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, highlighted the broader impact of such cases, stating, "Communities really lose confidence in the integrity of the legal system and its ability to respond appropriately and keep them safe."

Recent polls indicate that half of the public believes the U.S. applies the death penalty unfairly, although a majority still support death sentences for those convicted of murder.

Capital punishment is illegal in West Virginia, with the last execution occurring over 60 years ago, despite recent efforts to reinstate it. In 2007, a jury recommended federal death sentences for two Mountain State residents, but these were later overturned.

Nationwide, Maher believes that far more than 200 people have likely been wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death, partly due to the challenges in the legal appeal process. "Once someone is convicted and sent to prison, that burden then shifts to them to prove that they're innocent," said Maher. "And that's very difficult to do without a good lawyer and due to the operation of the law."

The Death Penalty Information Center reports that two-thirds of those exonerated have been people of color. While President Joe Biden campaigned on abolishing the federal death penalty, his administration has taken limited steps toward this goal.