THE WOODPECKER WALTZ

SYNOPSIS : The true story set in 1936 Colorado of an idealistic lawyer fighting to save a mentally challenged young man wrongfully accused of a brutal murder.

MORE INFO : WWW.FRIENDSOFJOEARRIDY.COM

One January 6, 2011, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, Jr. granted “a full and unconditional posthumous pardon to Joe Arridy, who was convicted of killing a 15 year old Pueblo girl, sentenced to death and executed by lethal gas seven decades ago.” The governor cited that “an overwhelming body of evidence indicates the 23 year old Arridy was innocent, including false and coerced confessions, the likelihood that Arridy was not in Pueblo at the time of the killing and an admission of guilt by someone else.” This was the first posthumous death penalty pardon ever granted in the State of Colorado.