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To honor Wrongful Conviction Day, the Innocence Project and the Innocence Project of Texas are releasing a series of powerful stories from exonerees around the country produced in partnership with StoryCorps. StoryCorps is a nonprofit organization dedicated to recording and preserving stories while fostering meaningful conversations. Take a moment to learn more about the unique cases of Timothy Cole (d. 1999), Elizabeth Ramirez, Dennis Lee Allen, Patrick Walker, and Jimmy Ray Bromgard. These stories will be preserved in the Library of Congress to educate future generations about the causes and impact of wrongful convictions.

Timothy Cole (Image: Courtesy of the Innocence Project)

How A Family Came Together to Reverse Timothy Cole’s Wrongful Conviction

Timothy Cole died of a heart attack in prison in 1999 while serving a 25-year sentence for a sexual assault that he didn’t commit. Nearly a decade after his death — after Tim’s brother Cory received a letter from a man confessing to the assault — DNA evidence from the crime posthumously exonerated Timothy and implicated the man who had sent the letter. Shortly after the exoneration, Texas passed the Timothy Cole Act, which increased compensation paid to exonerees, expanded services offered to exonerated people after their release, and added compensation for the family of an exoneree if they are cleared of charges after death. Texas also created the Timothy Cole Advisory Panel on Wrongful Convictions to help prevent future injustices. Speaking to friend and former reporter Bob Ray Sanders, Cory details his family’s work with the Innocence Project of Texas to exonerate Timothy. Watch the video to learn more about Timothy’s story.

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Elizabeth Ramirez (Image: Kenny Karpov/Innocence Project)

Elizabeth Ramirez Shares Her Heartbreaking Experience in Prison for a Crime She Did Not Commit

In a deeply emotional interview, Innocence Project of Texas client Elizabeth Ramirez tells her then wife Evangelina Angel Ramirez what it was like to spend years of her life wrongfully incarcerated after she was sentenced to 37 years in prison for a crime she didn’t commit. Elizabeth and four of her friends — all of whom were out as lesbians, a fact that colored the accusations and case against them from the start — were wrongly convicted of sexually assaulting two young girls. This happened in 1998, amid a national frenzy over allegations that children across the country were being abused as part of a satanic ritual. Please take a moment to hear from Elizabeth about her experience.

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Dennis Lee Allen (Image: Lara Solt/Innocence Project)

Dennis Lee Allen Reflects on the 15 Years He Spent Wrongly Incarcerated

Childhood friends Dennis Lee Allen and Edward Robinson look back at the 15 years Dennis spent in prison for a murder he did not commit. Dennis, a client of the Innocence Project of Texas, was convicted largely based on eyewitness misidentification, prosecutorial misconduct, and unreliable jailhouse informant testimony — three of the most common causes of wrongful conviction. Learn more about Dennis’ case by watching this video of his story.

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Patrick Waller (Image: Courtesy of the Innocence Project)

Patrick Waller Speaks About His Wrongful Conviction and Subsequent Exoneration

Innocence Project of Texas client Patrick Waller discusses his experience around his wrongful arrest, conviction, and incarceration with his friend and attorney Mike Ware. In 1992, Patrick was convicted of robbery and kidnapping — crimes he did not commit. He ended up serving nearly 16 years in prison until he was finally exonerated. Please watch the video to learn more about Patrick’s story in his own words.

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Jimmy Ray Bromgard (Image: Courtesy of the Innocence Project)

Jimmy Ray Bromgard Discusses His Wrongful Conviction With Survivor Linda Glantz

Innocence Project and Montana Innocence Project client Jimmy Ray Bromgard and survivor Linda Glantz talk about Jimmy’s experience being wrongfully convicted for the rape that Linda survived when she was eight years old, and how it has affected both of their lives. Watch the video to hear the emotional conversation between them.

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Founded in 1992 by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld, the Innocence Project works to free the innocent, prevent wrongful convictions, and create fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone. Our work is guided by science and grounded in anti-racism.
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