Urge the New Hampshire Legislature to Override the Gov.’s Veto of House Bill 1422
Exoneree Scott Hornoff in NH after testifying with his service dog Tuukka.
Take action now! Urge legislators to override Gov. Ayotte’s veto.
The ability to file a motion for a new trial is a critical post-conviction tool that helps identify wrongful convictions. Unfortunately in New Hampshire, there is a strict three-year deadline to file a motion for a new trial.
Earlier this year, the New Hampshire legislature unanimously passed House Bill 1422 which would create a narrow exception to the three-year deadline based on newly discovered evidence. However, citing faulty reasoning, Governor Kelly Ayotte vetoed the bill, blocking a path to justice and ensuring innocent people will remain behind bars in New Hampshire.
Unless the legislature intervenes, wrongfully convicted Granite Staters will continue to have no legal pathway to return to court, even if that evidence could prove their innocence.
Scott Hornoff’s story
Despite no physical evidence connecting him to the crime, Scott Hornoff, a former police detective in Rhode Island, was wrongfully convicted and spent 6 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. He was exonerated after the true culprit came forward and confessed.
Mr. Hornoff is just one of the many exonerees who have had to wait years before new evidence was uncovered in their cases, or new forensic testing or scientific understanding was available. Justice should never be denied simply because an arbitrary clock has run out.
Contact your legislator today using the form above.
This campaign is in partnership with the New England Innocence Project.