John Dixon

The Crime

On Dec. 23, 1990, a 21-year-old woman reported that a Black man had accosted her with a .38-caliber pistol at about 3:30 p.m. He had forced her into a vacant lot where he sexually assaulted her. He took $60 from her pants pocket and fled.

The Investigation

Three days after the attack, the victim viewed a police book of mugshots and identified 27-year-old John Dixon as her attacker. 

On Jan. 4, 1991, the victim viewed a five-photo lineup and again identified Mr. Dixon as her assailant. On Jan. 18, Mr. Dixon was arrested and charged with rape, kidnapping, armed robbery, and unlawful possession of a weapon.

The Conviction

As he awaited trial, Mr. Dixon told his attorney that he was innocent and asked to seek DNA testing. His request was ignored. On July 17, 1991, Mr. Dixon pleaded guilty to the charges in Essex County Superior Court. Judge Leonard Ronco sentenced Mr. Dixon to 45 years in prison.

The Exoneration

In September 1991, Mr. Dixon wrote a letter to Judge Ronco. He explained that he was innocent, but had pleaded guilty because he was afraid that going to trial would result in a harsher sentence. He asked the judge to approve DNA testing in order to prove his innocence.

At a hearing on Nov. 12, 1991, Judge Ronco asked, “It’s not even relevant to this case, is it? DNA?”

The prosecutor, Michael Penders, replied, “Judge, I doubt it at this juncture, quite frankly. It may be relevant only to the extent that the State’s never moved to have Mr. Dixon examined.”

Judge Ronco refused to allow the testing.

In October 1993, the New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division affirmed Mr. Dixon’s conviction.

In 1995, Mr. Dixon wrote to the Innocence Project for help. In July 1996, a student working on Mr. Dixon’s case learned that the rape kit that had been prepared at the time of the crime had been preserved.

In May 1997, the Innocence Project filed a motion seeking release of the evidence for DNA testing. The testing was finally authorized in September 2000. In January 2001, the rape kit was sent to an independent laboratory that was under contract with the New Jersey State Police.

On Sept. 25, 2001, the laboratory reported that Mr. Dixon was excluded as the source of the semen in the rape kit.

On Nov. 28, 2001, Essex County Superior Court Judge Harold Fullilove vacated Mr. Dixon’s convictions. On Dec. 4 of the same year, the prosecution dismissed the charges and Mr. Dixon was released.

Mr. Dixon sought compensation from the state of New Jersey and in 2005, he was awarded $183,342 and $91,657 in attorney’s fees.