Biography
Norma Jean Croy is a Native American woman whose case became closely tied to debates about over-policing, fair trials, and the quality of defense representation in serious felony prosecutions. She was convicted in 1979 of conspiracy to commit murder in a case arising from a chaotic 1978 pursuit and shootout in Northern California in which a police officer was killed, and she received a life sentence.
After years in prison and multiple parole denials, a federal court vacated her conviction in 1997 on ineffective-assistance-of-counsel grounds. She was released on February 7, 1997, after roughly 18 years of incarceration.
