Died in prison
Grover Thompson
Grover Thompson was held at an Illinois prison, where he died in 1996, and he was buried quietly in Chester without a funeral. His family remembers how much they loved his visits, as he crisscrossed the country to see relatives. Decades later, his niece Margaret Bell and nephew Pastor Roger Thompson spoke at a memorial service the family held for him. In 2019, advocates who had worked to clear his name succeeded, and he became the first person in the United States exonerated after death for innocence.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined