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The Innocent Man Trivia Quiz

John Grisham's "The Innocent Man" is a true story about a murder in Ada, Oklahoma and two men that were wrongly convicted of it.

A multiple-choice quiz by rpgonzo13. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
rpgonzo13

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
307,041

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
276

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What is the name of the murder victim? Hint

Denice Haraway

Terri Holland

Kathy Wilhoit

Debra Sue Carter

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Question 2 of 10

2. Who did the police think was Ron's accomplice? Hint

Tommy Ward

his father

Karl Fontenot

Dennis Fritz

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Question 3 of 10

3. What was Ron's favorite sport? Hint

Basketball

Football

Tennis

Baseball

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Question 4 of 10

4. Ron was mentally healthy.

True

False

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Question 5 of 10

5. How long did Ron spend on death row? Hint

3 months

20 years

9 years

11 years

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Question 6 of 10

6. Ron was convinced that Glen Gore was the murderer.

True

False

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Question 7 of 10

7. Who really killed Denice Haraway? Hint

Tommy Ward

Michael Lumburg

KIarl Fontenot

The killer was never found

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Question 8 of 10

8. What was the main evidence that sent Ron and Dennis to jail? Hint

Hair Analysis

Fingerprints

DNA Evidence

Confessions

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Question 9 of 10

9. What evidence eventually saved Dennis and Ron? Hint

DNA Testing

Testimony

Hair Analysis

Fingerprints

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Question 10 of 10

10. Who really killed Debbie? Hint

Dennis Smith

Ron Williamson

Bill Peterson

Glen Gore

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What is the name of the murder victim?

Answer: Debra Sue Carter

Denice Haraway and Kathy Wilhoit were two other murder victims mentioned in the story. Terri Holland was a snitch who lied about hearing Ron Williamson confess to the murder. Debra Sue Carter was a 21-year old cocktail waitress when she was murdered.

2. Who did the police think was Ron's accomplice?

Answer: Dennis Fritz

Dennis Fritz was sentenced to a life in jail for his supposed involvement in the murder. Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot were convicted of killing Denice Haraway based on dreams that the two claimed to have after hours of interrogation.

3. What was Ron's favorite sport?

Answer: Baseball

Ron was expected to be the next Mickey Mantle, but after a couple of tries in the minor leagues he stopped playing baseball for good. His failure ended up giving him depression and a drinking problem.

4. Ron was mentally healthy.

Answer: False

Ron was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. During his first trial the issue of his mental competency was never raised.

5. How long did Ron spend on death row?

Answer: 11 years

On death row, Ron came within five days of his execution. He was finally exonerated by DNA evidence.

6. Ron was convinced that Glen Gore was the murderer.

Answer: False

On September 23, 1987, Ricky Joe Simmons confessed to killing Debbie. He was lying, but when Ron found out about it he became convinced the Ricky was telling the truth. He became so obsessed with it that it was all he talked about.

7. Who really killed Denice Haraway?

Answer: The killer was never found

Tommy and Karl were the two people who were convicted of the murder and are still serving life sentences in jail. The real killer remains at large.

8. What was the main evidence that sent Ron and Dennis to jail?

Answer: Hair Analysis

Even though hair analysis is highly unreliable, the expert, Melvin Hett, led the court to believe that it was reliable. Melvin testified that 13 of the hairs found at the crime scene were microscopically consistent with those of Ron and Dennis.

9. What evidence eventually saved Dennis and Ron?

Answer: DNA Testing

After DNA testing became available it was able to eliminate Ron and Dennis as suspects. Dennis contacted the Innocence Project and asked them to take on his case and to prove that they did not kill Debra, which the people at the Project eventually did.

10. Who really killed Debbie?

Answer: Glen Gore

For some reason, Gore was not a suspect at first and when all the men in Ada were giving hair and saliva samples Gore somehow managed to avoid it. When DNA testing became available, Gore was found as a match.

Source: Author rpgonzo13

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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