H. Guy Hunt - National Registry Of Exonerations

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3,630 exonerations since 1989More than 32,750 Years Lost

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H. Guy Hunt Other Alabama Cases H. Guy HuntIn 1987, 54-year-old H. Guy Hunt was elected Governor of Alabama, the first Republican elected to the position since Reconstruction. In 1991, a taxpayer sued Hunt, claiming he improperly used state funds to travel to out-of-state religious events. As a result of the suit, the Attorney General initiated an investigation into Hunt’s finances.In 1992, a grand jury indicted Hunt on charges of theft, conspiracy and violating of a state ethics law. He was accused of using campaign funds for personal purchases.In 1993, he went to trial in Montgomery County Circuit Court on the ethics violation—the other charges had been dismissed because the statute of limitations had expired by the time the charges were brought. Evidence was presented that he used the funds for a variety of personal purchases, including mortgage payments, a riding lawnmower, cattle feed and a marble shower stall.Hunt maintained that he was innocent, and the victim of a political vendetta. He claimed that the funds were reimbursement for his own money he had previously invested in his campaign.On April 22, 1993, Hunt was convicted and was sentenced to 5 years in prison, with all 5 years suspended. He also was ordered to pay $210,000 in fines and perform 1,000 hours of community service. The conviction required him to resign as governor.In 1997, the Board of Pardons recommended that Hunt receive a full pardon. Because Hunt was still on probation, he needed a state official to sign off on the pardon, but Hunt could not find an appropriate state official willing to finalize the pardon.In 1998, Hunt asked a state judge to commute his remaining 4 months of probation, but the judge refused and instead added 5 years to his probation term because Hunt had not yet paid the $210,000 fine. Hunt then raised the money to pay the fine, lifting his probation.Later that year, in March 1998, the Board of Pardons again recommended a full pardon. Because Hunt was no longer on probation, the pardon became official without the need for action by any additional state official. Hunt passed away in January 2009.   - Stephanie Denzel Report an error or add more information about this case. Posting Date: Before June 2012

State: Alabama County: Montgomery Most Serious Crime: Official Misconduct Additional Convictions: Reported Crime Date: 1987 Convicted: 1993 Exonerated: 1998 Sentence: Probation Race/Ethnicity: White Sex: Male Age at the date of reported crime: 54 Contributing Factors: Did DNA evidence contribute to the exoneration?: No

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About the Registry

The National Registry of Exonerations is a project of the Newkirk Center for Science & Society at University of California Irvine, the University of Michigan Law School and Michigan State University College of Law. It was founded in 2012 in conjunction with the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law. The Registry provides detailed information about every known exoneration in the United States since 1989—cases in which a person was wrongly convicted of a crime and later cleared of all the charges based on new evidence of innocence. The Registry also maintains a more limited database of known exonerations prior to 1989.

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