“I think this is the guy”—The complicated confidence of eyewitness memory

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Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton have every reason to be enemies.

In 1984, an intruder broke into Thompson’s apartment and raped her. She identified Cotton as the rapist in both a photo array and a live lineup. Although Cotton proclaimed his innocence, he was arrested, tried, and convicted. The prosecution’s case rested mainly on Thompson’s identification, and during the trial she testified that she was “absolutely sure” Cotton was the man who raped her. Cotton was sentenced to life in prison plus 54 years.

But 10-and-a-half years later, things changed drastically. Cotton was exonerated based on DNA evidence that showed that a man named Bobby Poole had raped Jennifer Thompson. In a hearing that occurred after Cotton’s trial, Thompson was shown a picture of Poole. She said “I have never seen him in my life.”

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