The National Registry of Exonerations reports that 1,541 innocent people have been exonerated in the United States since 1989, with more mishandled cases being revisited by committed legal teams every year. These photos show 15 of them during some of their first moments of freedom.
Michael Williams, 15.5 years
Michael Williams is seen leaving Louisiana State Penitentiary in 2011 where he served nearly 16 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. He was released after the key witness in his case admitted to fabricating the whole story, and further investigation revealed that the police had not provided Williams' original defense team with critical eyewitness accounts from the night of the murder. Williams was represented by the Innocence Project of New Orleans.
Innocence Project of New Orleans
Reginald Adams, 34 years
Reginald Adams smiles on the steps of New Orleans Criminal District Court in May of 2014 after a judge reversed his conviction for a murder in 1979. The Innocence Project of New Orleans discovered that the conviction was based on a coerced confession from Adams that got every detail of the crime incorrect. The investigation also revealed that homicide detectives discovered the murder weapon and traced it to two siblings who were found in possession of items stolen from the murder victim. They did not disclose this evidence at trial and perjured themselves on the stand. Now 61, Adams has returned to his family and is readjusting to life outside of prison.
Jene O'Keefe Trigg / AP
Robert Dewey, 17 years
Robert Dewey hugs his parents in court where he was exonerated for a first-degree murder of sexual assault for which he served 17 years in prison. At his original trial in 1996, Dewey warned the judge, “There is still a killer out there.” With assistance from The Innocence Project and attorney Danyel Joffe, advanced DNA testing was conducted on clothing and sheets from the crime scene and under the fingernails of the victim. The DNA evidence not only determined that Dewey was not guilty but the DNA matched with another inmate who was serving a life sentence for rape and murder.
The Innocence Project
Cedric Willis, 12 years
Cedric Willis is seen hugging his mother after his release from prison in Louisiana for a murder and several robberies he did not commit at the age of 19. During his original case, the jury never heard that DNA had excluded Willis in a similar crime committed by a person matching the description and using the same gun. Willis was represented by the Innocence Project of New Orleans, which helped him return home to help raise a son who was born just two weeks before Willis' arrest.
Innocence Project of New Orleans
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1yJhKOT
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