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Friday, Jun 06, 2025
Outside the box.
Exonerated US Death Row Inmate Sunny Jacobs Dies in Irish House Fire
The 77-year-old advocate for justice succumbed to a fire at her rural Galway home, where she had dedicated her life to helping others wrongfully convicted.
Sunny Jacobs, a former US death row inmate and advocate for justice, passed away in a house fire in County Galway, Ireland, on June 3, 2025. The 77-year-old, originally from New York, was found deceased at the Sunny Healing Centre, known for its focus on assisting exonerees.
Jacobs had been wrongfully convicted of murder and spent 17 years in prison, including a significant period on death row before her exoneration in 1992.
Emergency services were summoned to the scene in Casla at approximately 6:20 AM, where the bodies of Jacobs and her caretaker, a man in his 30s, were recovered after the fire was extinguished.
An investigation into the incident is currently underway.
Local authorities, known as Gardai, have preserved the scene for a technical examination and are conducting post-mortem examinations at University Hospital Galway to ascertain further details about the deaths.
Jacobs was a notable figure in the advocacy for justice reform, having survived what she coined as a struggle against wrongful conviction.
Her campaign website released a statement confirming her death and highlighted her legacy as a guiding light for many exonerees.
In partnership with her late husband, Peter Pringle, who also faced a wrongful death sentence, Jacobs co-founded The Sunny Centre, a refuge aimed at helping those who have been exonerated navigate life post-incarceration.
The centre has served as a healing space for many exonerees, offering emotional support and counseling.
Following Pringle's death in 2022, Jacobs continued their mission, engaging with former inmates through remote support during the pandemic and fostering programs for others to establish similar initiatives in their communities.
The local police have stated their desire for witnesses of the incident to come forward, as they continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fire.
Jacobs' contributions to the community and her advocacy for justice reform have left a lasting impact, emphasizing the challenges faced by those wrongfully convicted.
Jacobs had been wrongfully convicted of murder and spent 17 years in prison, including a significant period on death row before her exoneration in 1992.
Emergency services were summoned to the scene in Casla at approximately 6:20 AM, where the bodies of Jacobs and her caretaker, a man in his 30s, were recovered after the fire was extinguished.
An investigation into the incident is currently underway.
Local authorities, known as Gardai, have preserved the scene for a technical examination and are conducting post-mortem examinations at University Hospital Galway to ascertain further details about the deaths.
Jacobs was a notable figure in the advocacy for justice reform, having survived what she coined as a struggle against wrongful conviction.
Her campaign website released a statement confirming her death and highlighted her legacy as a guiding light for many exonerees.
In partnership with her late husband, Peter Pringle, who also faced a wrongful death sentence, Jacobs co-founded The Sunny Centre, a refuge aimed at helping those who have been exonerated navigate life post-incarceration.
The centre has served as a healing space for many exonerees, offering emotional support and counseling.
Following Pringle's death in 2022, Jacobs continued their mission, engaging with former inmates through remote support during the pandemic and fostering programs for others to establish similar initiatives in their communities.
The local police have stated their desire for witnesses of the incident to come forward, as they continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fire.
Jacobs' contributions to the community and her advocacy for justice reform have left a lasting impact, emphasizing the challenges faced by those wrongfully convicted.