Scott Hornoff : 6 Years in Prison
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For 6 long years, Scott Hornoff, a Warwick Rhode Island Police officer sat in a Rhode Island prison cell for a crime he did not commit. Now that Scott is free, he reflects back on the long years away from his family and friends while segregated from the rest of the prison population; wrongfully convicted of murder. |
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How can a trusted veteran police detective be falsely convicted in a case where there was no DNA evidence, no fingerprints, no witness identification and no confession?
The system simply failed Scott Hornoff. “If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone” - Scott Hornoff. Scott is absolutely right. It should make the average citizen cringe every time he or she hears that our criminal justice system, regardless of it’s own flaws, is the “best in the world”. That statement does not provide any relief to Scott or the thousands of other innocent people who remain imprisoned by the defunct system that put them there.
Scott Hornoff’s case is different from other wrongful conviction cases. He had adequate representation. There was no questionable forensic evidence, erroneous identification or “Junk Science”. Scott was a middle aged, middle class, white police officer. This case was not solved by DNA; in fact, the case was solved because the original murderer came forward and confessed to the crime.
Prosecutors acknowledged the case was circumstantial. No one could place Scott at the scene at the time of the murder. There were no fingerprints on the weapon and no bloodstains on his clothing. Scott passed a polygraph examination. What prosecutors did rely on (heavily) was the fact that Scott knew the victim and at one time had an affair with her. Infidelity at its very best is only a motive and certainly should not be construed as evidence. Scott lied about the affair because he wanted to be the one to tell his wife. This led investigators into a condition known as TUNNEL VISION. Detectives soon began investigating Scott, and Scott only, not allowing for any other alternatives. Sloppy police work and outside pressure to solve the crime allowed the jury to convict Scott Hornoff for murder.
During the investigation, the Attorney General’s Office assigned two investigators with pre-conceived conclusions to investigate Scott. During the interview process, Rhode Island State Police detectives asked Scott and the witnesses to take their “best guesses” when they could not recall. Naturally, this created inconsistencies that were ultimately used against Scott. “You can get an indictment on the Pope. You can get an indictment on a ham sandwich.” – Scott Hornoff. Scott Hornoff was indicted on December 28, 1994. “A lot of people don’t realize it but the media is used by law enforcement agencies to further their agenda and they were definitely used in my case. I spent 6 years, 4 months and 18 days wrongfully imprisoned."
With the help of the New England Innocent Project, Scott was exonerated. “At first they (The New England Innocent Project) were like everyone else. Well, cops aren’t going to accuse another cop unless he’s guilty.” –Scott Hornoff. When the New England Innocent Project started to read the case, they realized that there were loose ends that didn’t make sense. Bloody gloves at the scene were never tagged as evidence. Expert testimony indicating blood was located on a window screen was not blood at all and was proved to be fruit juice or a metal alloy (providing a false positive). A second test would have pointed this out.
Out of all the mistakes the investigators made, the most amazing display is what follows. Investigators found a letter from the victim to Scott. His number was found in the victim’s rolodex. Also in the rolodex was the telephone number for Todd Berry, the victim’s on again, off again boyfriend, who later confessed to committing the crime. No one bothered to call Todd Berry who later told investigators he would have confessed to the crime years ago; if asked.
An Attorney General’s sole purpose is to protect the innocent and instead, they look at the judicial system as a win at all cost. They look at it as a way to climb the ladder for political advancement. Even when they are proven wrong, they continue to fight for that lie.
Following years of court battles, Scott won his pension; most of the settlement from the City of Warwick has been divided between attorneys and his ex-wife; Scott has yet to see a dime of the $600,000 settlement. He has guest lectured and advocated nationwide, and appeared in the award-winning documentary ‘After Innocence,’ educating others about America’s newest civil rights movement - Exonerees.
