1983 arson conviction vacated due to antisemitism at trial
By MARK PRATT
Associated Press
A New York man who spent nearly 40 years trying to clear his name after he was wrongfully convicted of arson by a jury tainted by antisemitism has finally been vindicated. Lawyers for Barry Jacobson announced Tuesday that a court earlier this year vacated his conviction and the case was subsequently dismissed by prosecutors. Jacobson was convicted in 1983 of setting a fire at his Richmond, Massachusetts, home and sentenced to prison. Yet he always maintained his innocence and pointed out that the jury foreperson made antisemitic statements during deliberations. His lawyer says he was finally exonerated thanks to help from the Anti-Defamation League and the Innocence Project.
