Walter Ogrod case

Walter Ogrod of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was convicted and sentenced to death for the July 12, 1988 sexual assault and murder of four-year-old Barbara Jean Horn. Horn's murder gained national attention as an unsolved crime. Ogrod did not confess to her murder until four years after the crime was committed, and the veracity and circumstances of his confessions to police and in prison have since been questioned. Trials: In April 1992, Walter Ogrod, a neighbor of four-year-old Barbara Jean Horn, confessed to luring Horn into his basement, attempting to sexually assault her, bludgeoning her to death with a metal object and then placing her body in a cardboard television box on nearby St. Vincent Street. In October 1993, Ogrod was put on trial for the first time. The defense argued that Ogrod's confession had been coerced by the authorities. The jury was set to acquit Ogrod of the crime, but a juror announced that he did not agree with the verdict as it was being read, resulting in a mistrial. In October 1996, Ogrod again went on trial. He was convicted of her murder on October 8, 1996 and sentenced to the death penalty on October 9. The main evidence against Ogrod was jailhouse informant hearsay testimony that he had confessed to the crime. Further developments: In April 2018, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner revealed that Ogrod's conviction will be reviewed. In addition, a district attorney spokesman revealed that prosecutors will no longer try to prevent DNA evidence in the case from being tested, including fingernail scrapings from the victim. Media coverage: -The case was featured on a first season episode of Unsolved Mysteries, aired on November 16, 1988. As implied, at the time the case was unsolved, and there was not yet a clear suspect. -In April 2017, a book by author Thomas Lowenstein (son of Allard K. Lowenstein), The Trials of Walter Ogrod, was published. -In April 2018, a segment of the documentary series Death Row Stories entitled "Snitch Work" aired, focusing on Ogrod's conviction and possible innocence.