Woman Who Spent 17 Years in Prison After Being Wrongfully Convicted of Murder Dies in House Fire

An American female who spent almost 2 decades successful situation for murders she did not perpetrate has died aft a occurrence collapsed retired successful her location successful Ireland.

Sonia “Sunny” Jacobs, 78, and Kevin Kelly were recovered dormant connected Tuesday, June 3, aft her cottage caught occurrence successful a colony successful County Galway, nan Garda, nan section constabulary force, said successful a connection obtained by PEOPLE. Kelly was her caretaker, according to her nonprofit, The Sunny Center Foundation.

Emergency responders arrived aft they received an alert astir nan occurrence astatine 6:19 a.m. section clip and recovered some group dormant astatine nan scene. An investigation is ongoing, and nan bodies were taken to University Hospital Galway's mortuary, constabulary added.

“The results of nan postmortems, on pinch nan findings of nan method examination, will find nan people of nan Garda investigation,” nan section said.

The Chief Fire Officer of Galway Fire and Rescue Services did not instantly respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment. 

The deadly occurrence is simply a heartbreaking ending to a life besieged by challenges.

In 1976, Jacobs was a 28-year-old mother of 2 young children erstwhile she and her boyfriend, Jesse Tafero, decided to drawback a thrust pinch Tafero’s acquaintance, Walter Rhodes, successful Florida, The Guardian reported.

During nan car ride, Rhodes fatally changeable 2 constabulary officers and blamed nan murders connected Jacobs and Tafero, who were some sentenced to death, according to nan outlet. 

While Tafero died aft a botched execution successful 1990, Jacobs, nan mother of his child, spent 5 of her 17 years successful situation connected decease row, nan insubstantial reported. Jacobs was freed aft an entreaty tribunal resulted successful a caller trial, and she accepted a plea woody successful 1992, according to The Irish Times. After nan murders, Rhodes admitted to shooting nan officers, though he later retracted his confession, The Guardian reported. 

Jacobs wasn’t nan only 1 to suffer. Her children, 10-month-old girl Christina, nine-year-old boy Eric, were successful nan car that life-altering time successful 1976. After her arrest, they were raised by Jacobs’ parents until nan second died successful a level crash, according to nan paper.

Despite her family’s trauma, Jacobs was wished to unrecorded a life of positivity. She built a level campaigning against nan decease penalty.

“It was very important, that prime I made to heal, alternatively than to walk nan gift of a caller life that I had looking backwards astatine nan wrongs that were done to me,” Jacobs told nan Times successful 2006. “And I was capable to stock that pinch my children. It meant I americium leaving them a bequest of dream and spot alternatively than conclusion and pain.”

In 2012, she joined Irishman Peter Pringle, whom she had met successful 1998 while making an quality astatine an Amnesty International event, nan insubstantial reported. They bonded complete their shared history. Pringle, who died successful 2023, was acquitted of nan execution of 2 constabulary officers during a robbery successful County Roscommon successful 1980, nan Times reported. 

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Jacobs’ communicative was captured successful her 2008 memoir, Stolen Time, and films, including an world play, The Exonerated, which was adapted into a movie starring Susan Sarandon. 

She and her precocious hubby created nan nonprofit to support different group who person been wrongfully convicted.

“We are each doing life wherever we are,” she said, according to nan foundation. “Every time must beryllium lived to nan fullest nether nan prevailing conditions, pinch an oculus toward betterment. In different words, don’t hold until conditions are ideal, because you whitethorn ne'er get there.”