Inside Sunny Jacobs' hellish 17 years on US death row for crime she didn't commit before tragic Irish house fire death

The Irish Sun

2 days ago

AFTER enduring a hellish 17 years on death row in a Florida prison awaiting execution for a crime she did not commit, Sunny Jacobs found peace in the west of Ireland.
But, in a tragic twist, Sonia, alongside her carer Kevin Kelly, sadly perished in a house
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Sunny was wrongfully convivcted of murdering a cop
Credit: Getty
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Irishman Pringle and Sunny met in New York
Credit: Getty
The 78-year-old had moved to Ireland a number of years ago with her Irish husband, Peter Pringle, who had also been condemned to death before his conviction was quashed.
But Jacobs hailed from across the pond in
She spent 17 years of her life on death row in a
Sunny, who was 28 at the time, was travelling to
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Her
When the couple ran into
A shooting incident broke out at the Interstate 95 rest stop where they had stopped, resulting in the deaths of a Florida Highway Patrol trooper and a Canadian
Jacobs and Tafero were tried for murder and convicted, with both sentenced to death row.
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Tafero was executed in 1990, but a malfunctioning electric chair meant it took several attempts and 13 minutes to kill him.
Jacobs remained in a tiny solitary confinement cell during her time on death row.
COPING MECHANISM
It was there that the mother-of-two discovered her love of yoga and used it as a coping mechanism.
Walter Rhodes, who had been in the back seat of the car, had received a life sentence for testifying against Jacobs and Tafero.
He later confessed to the murder although he retracted the admission.
Jacobs, meanwhile, was granted a new trial in 1992 after an appeals
HOPEFUL LEGACY
She entered into what is known as the Alford Plea on two counts of second degree murder.
Both Sunny's parents died in a plane crash while she was incarcerated and her daughter Christina was put into foster care.
Her son, Eric, who was aged in mid-teens at the time, supported himself with a part time food delivery job while his mum was behind bars.
And when Sunny was released from prison in 1992, both her children had grown up.
'CHOICE TO HEAL'
On her exoneration, Jacobs became a leading advocate against the death penalty and teamed up with Amnesty International to campaign against it.
She lived in Los Angeles for a time and taught yoga, having solidified her love for the
And she vowed not to become bitter, opting instead to leave her children with a legacy of hope.
In 2006, she said: "It was very important, that choice I made to heal, rather than to spend the gift of a new life that I had looking backwards at the wrongs that were done to me."
MEETING PARTNER
In 1998, she met Peter Pringle at an Amnesty International Event which called for the sentence to be abolished.
Pringle himself had been sentenced to death in Ireland for the murder of gardai John Morley and Henry Byrne during a
He was acquitted in 1995 and the pair married in 2012, moving to Connemara in the same year.
Jacobs
once told The Irish Times
: "The stone in the west of Ireland makes me feel grounded; it anchors me.'
'GONE TO BE WITH HER PETER'
In 2008, Jacobs published her book, Stolen Time, about her life in prison, which went on the become a bestseller.
In 2023, Pringle passed away.
Jacobs remained in Connemara until her death just days ago, after which she was remembered as a "hero".
One person said: 'Sitting here numb and sad, Sunny Jacobs has gone to be with her Peter Pringle in the afterlife.
"What a sad sad day. Until we meet again, One Love Sunny.'
And another added: "I am sad to share news of the passing of my dear friend, a true hero and a champion for Justice, Sunny Jacobs.'
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Sunny and Peter Pringle were married in 2012
Credit: Getty
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She spent 17 years in prison in Florida
Credit: AFP
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Sunny was killed in a house fire just days ago
Credit: gettyimages