Bruce Lisker
Bruce Lisker is an American man who at age 17 was wrongly arrested, tried, and convicted for the March 10, 1983 murder of his adoptive mother Dorka, 66, in the family's Sherman Oaks residence.
Bruce E. Lisker | |
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| Born | Baby Boy Johnson (adopted at 2 days) 1965 (age 59) Valley Presbyterian Hospital, Van Nuys, California |
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| Known for | Wrongly convicted for the 1983 murder of his adoptive mother, Dorka. He was exonerated and released from prison in 2009. |
| Notable work | Survivors Guide to Prison (2018) |
| Television | 48 Hours Mystery (CBS) "The Whole Truth" (2010) |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
| Criminal charge(s) | CA Penal Code § 187; Murder, Second Degree |
| Criminal penalty | 16 years to life |
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| Website | brucelisker |
Lisker served 26 years, 5 months, and 3 days of a 16-years-to-life sentence in California prisons including the California Youth Authority (now the California Division of Juvenile Justice; 1986–87), San Quentin State Prison (1987-89), and Mule Creek State Prison (1989-2009). His conviction was overturned in a 2009 ruling by United States district court judge Virginia A. Phillips, in which she found that his 1985 murder conviction was obtained through the use of false evidence and ineffective assistance of counsel. Lisker was freed on August 13, 2009. On September 21, 2009, the Los Angeles County District Attorney (LADA) dropped all charges in the matter due to lack of evidence.