Here Lies an Innocent Man
Greenwood Pioneer Cemetery. Hours are sunrise to sunset. If the gate is open you can drive to within 150 feet of the cache. If the gate is closed you will have to walk in. Woodpecker Hill is a section where Colorado State Prison inmates are buried.
Joseph Arridy was falsely accused, wrongfully convicted, and wrongfully executed for the 1936 rape and murder of Dorothy Drain, a 15-year-old girl in Pueblo, Colorado. He is believed to have made a coerced confession. Arridy was 23 years old at the time of his death. He had an IQ of 46--approximately the mind of a 5-year old.
Many people at the time and since believed that Arridy was innocent. His confession was probably coerced, and despite the existence of no evidence tying him to the crime he was convicted and sentenced to death.
A group known as Friends of Joe Arridy commissioned the tombstone for his grave. They also petitioned for a pardon to clear Arridy's name. In 2011 Arridy received a full and unconditional posthumous pardon by Colorado Governor Bill Ritter (72 years after his death). “Pardoning Arridy cannot undo this tragic event in Colorado history,” Ritter said. “It is in the interests of justice and simple decency, however, to restore his good name.”
People have reported that this grave glows at night. However, the cemetery is only open during daylight hours. Please do not go there at night.
Read more about Joe Arridy here.