How love helped rebuild these lives after wrongful convictions.
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John,
This Valentine’s Day, we asked a few members of the Innocence Project community how love helped them through the toughest of times. Read more about how Angel Echavarria and Lilliana Comery, Eddie and Louann Lowery, and John and Kimya Nolley rebuilt their lives together after being affected by wrongful conviction — then check out the entire series here ([link removed]) .
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Angel and Lilliana. [Courtesy of Lilliana]
As told by Lilliana Comery:
Angel and I met for the first time at my uncle’s house in 1986 or 1987, just after he’d arrived in New York from the Dominican Republic. The next day, I asked my aunt about Angel; my aunt said he’d asked about me, too. From there, we started talking.
We only dated for about a year before I went back to the Dominican Republic. Angel told me not to go, but I went anyway. Not long after, Angel was wrongfully convicted and incarcerated for 21 years.
In 2015, I remember my mom calling to tell me that she’d seen Angel on the news — he had been released from prison. I was so happy, I cried! But, I said to myself, “Let him come out and do his thing. Let him do whatever he needs to do.” So, I didn’t reach out. Angel had other plans though.
Read more to see how Angel and Lilliana’s love blossomed:
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Kimya and John. [Lisa Siegel]
As told by Kimya Nolley:
It started with text messages.
“[John] would say to me, ‘I’ll page you later,’ and I would say, ‘No, it’s not paging anymore! It’s texting,’” Kimya Locke recalled.
John would text her just to practice, and they would exchange messages. The texts were soon replaced by long phone calls, with John keeping Kimya company over the phone on her long, late-night drives for work. It was during one of those calls that Kimya knew their relationship was becoming something more.
For 14 years, Kimya drove as many as 11 hours at night going between Fort Worth and Midland-Odessa, Texas, for her job. And before each drive she would pray, but one night, she forgot.
“I was on the phone with John and I said, ‘Hold on a second, I forgot to pray,’ and he said, ‘Okay,’” she described. “And so I asked God for traveling grace and John said, ‘Amen,’ and then he said, ‘If you run out of grace, I’ve got some you can borrow.’”
That was the moment she melted, she said.
Read more to see how John and Kimya's story grew:
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Eddie and Louann Lowery. [Courtesy of the Lowery family]
As told by Eddie Lowery:
Louann and I have known each other since first grade. It wasn’t until fourth grade that I started to have a little crush on her — well, as much of a crush as a fourth grader could have. In fifth grade, I remember playing tag with her in the school yard. I would chase her around to hint that I liked her. We lived one block away from each other, so I even walked her home sometimes. I thought she’d catch on, but she never did.
[In 2011], we met at a restaurant called the Northwoods Inn. As soon as I saw her, I realized my feelings for her were still there. She looked the same as she did years ago.
Read more about Eddie and Louann built a life together:
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—The Innocence Project Team
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