60 Minutes: Lenell Geter’s in Jail

In 1982, Lenell Geter, a black engineer, was convicted for the armed robbery of a fast-food restaurant near Dallas, Texas, and sentenced to life imprisonment. This occurred despite conflicts in eyewitness testimony, co-workers’ claims that he was at work at the time of the robbery, and his lack of a prior criminal record. Devoting half of its broadcast to the case, the 60 Minutes team, including executive producer Don Hewitt, producer Suzanne St. Pierre, and correspondent Morley Safer, carefully retraced the events leading to Mr. Geter’s arrest and conviction. As a result of its investigation, which produced new witnesses and revealed a number of prosecution errors and omissions, Mr. Geter was granted his release in March 1984. For continuing its tradition of excellence in investigative reporting, a Peabody to CBS News’ 60 Minutes: Lenell Geter’s in Jail.