Ameer Ben Ali Case Data
Compiled by Cara Settipani
Copyright © 2006, Center on Wrongful Convictions, Bluhm Legal Clinic, Northwestern University School of Law
Crime date: April 23-24, 1891
Jurisdiction: New York County, New York
Crime: Murder
Related crime(s): None
Age: 20s or 30s
Gender: Male
Race or ethnicity: Algerian
Arrest date: April 25, 1891
Victim: Carrie Brown
Victim’s occupation: Reportedly a prostitute
Victim’s gender: Female
Victim’s race: White
Victim’s age: 60
How defendant became a suspect: Occupied hotel room across the hall from the room in which the murder occurred
Principal evidence of defendant’s guilt: A purported trail of blood leading from the victim’s hotel room to a room across the hall to a room occupied by Ben Ali
Principal defense: Claim of framing by police
Type of trial: Jury
Conviction date: July 3, 1891
Convicted of: Second-degree murder
Sentence: Life
Appellate record: None
Basis for exoneration: Affidavits stating that there had been no trail of blood and identifying an alternative suspect who apparently fled the country after the crime
Legal form of exoneration: Pardon
Release date: April 22, 1901
Days of incarceration: 3,649
Prior record: None
Compensation: None
