John,

Last month, Leonard Mack was finally exonerated 47 years after he was wrongfully convicted. In a series of groundbreaking events, not only did his conviction emerge as the longest overturned by DNA evidence in U.S. history to the Innocence Project’s knowledge, but the actual assailant was identified from the DNA test results and subsequently confessed to the crime.

It was an incredibly emotional day for Leonard, his loved ones, and his legal team. “The last time I was in this courthouse, it was 1976 and I went through the back entrance in handcuffs. It’s overwhelming that today I am walking through the front door as a free man.”

Please take a moment to look through these eight moving moments from Leonard’s exoneration day. And if you’d like to support Leonard as he rebuilds his life after wrongful conviction, then donate to his personal fundraiser today. 

Leonard spent more than seven years in prison, but it took 47 years for the court to clear his name in the rape and sexual assault case. He was only 23 years old when he was convicted, and 72 on the day he was exonerated. During those years, he had that conviction hanging over his head. 

When he was finally exonerated last month, on his 72nd birthday, he chanted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic phrase, “Free at last, free at last! Thank God Almighty, I’m free at last!”

Learn more about some of the incredible moments from his exoneration day, and check out some of the photos celebrating Leonard’s freedom. Then take a moment to help Leonard out as he rebuilds his life after being exonerated by donating to his personal fundraiser.

Thank you so much for your support,

— The Innocence Project Team