John,

Yesterday, more than three decades after he was wrongly convicted and incarcerated for second-degree murder, Carlton Lewis was finally exonerated in Syracuse, New York.

Three common contributing factors to wrongful conviction were present in the prosecution’s case against Carlton in 1992: the testimony of an incentivized witness, a false confession, and hair microscopy — a now discredited forensic technique. New DNA testing results exclude Carlton from the scene of the crime and confirm his continued assertion of innocence.

“I always believed in myself, I’ve always fought for the truth.” Carlton said. “I’ve known all along I’m innocent, but it feels good to finally have the court acknowledge it, to finally have no more lies hanging over my head. I can finally sleep … I just wish all my family members who saw this happen to me were still alive to see this day. That’s what hurts the most, that they’re not able to be here for this. But the truth is finally out, and I thank everyone who believed in me and fought for me.”

Please take a moment to read more about Carlton’s story, and then share the news of his exoneration with your friends and family on social media.

On February 7, 1990, Cheryl Coleman was found dead in an empty apartment in Syracuse, New York. The police developed a list of suspects, which included men who frequented nearby bars, including William McKee, Gregory Brown, and Carlton Lewis. 

When police questioned Carlton, he told them in a sworn statement that he was at home with his wife on the night of the murder. His wife corroborated his account. William McKee, who was 16 years old, was interviewed twice by investigators over the course of two days — and gave differing accounts to police each time.

After William’s first interrogation, police took Carlton from his home at 12:15 a.m. and questioned him, without the presence of a lawyer, for hours into the morning until he signed a statement he neither read nor wrote on his own.

When police interviewed William for a second time, his original story changed. This time, he said he saw Gregory and Carlton have sex with Cheryl and that Gregory, and later Carlton, struck Cheryl with a two-by-four piece of wood. In exchange for this testimony, William received a reduced sentence. Instead of a sentence of 25 years to life, he was made eligible for parole after six years. Gregory and Carlton were arrested and later convicted of murder.

During the post-conviction investigation, the Innocence Project ordered DNA testing of the evidence, including a rape kit. Multiple tests excluded Carlton as a potential source.

“This has been a long, hard fight for Mr. Lewis,” said Adnan Sultan, a senior staff attorney at Innocence Project who represents Carlton. “The criminal legal system stole over 30 years from Mr. Lewis. Today he is a 57-year-old man who has shown tremendous perseverance and resilience. This is a bittersweet day. We are thrilled that Mr. Lewis is finally being exonerated, but he should have never been convicted of this crime in the first place.” 

Learn more about Carlton’s case and the far too common circumstances that led to his wrongful conviction.

Thank you so much for your support,

— The Innocence Project Team