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Here’s what’s been going on at the Innocence Project this month.
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Toforest Johnson (Courtesy of the family of Toforest Johnson)
Toforest Johnson Is Facing Execution After A Witness Was Paid To Testify Against Him. Here’s How You Can Help Him Get a New Trial.
Toforest Johnson has been on death row in Alabama for more than 25 years, and is at risk of being executed for a crime he didn’t commit — even though the prosecutor who put him there is now calling for a new trial. Toforest was convicted and sentenced to death in 1998 for the murder of Jefferson County Deputy Sheriff William G. Hardy. No physical evidence or eyewitness testimony connected him to the crime scene and more than 10 alibi witnesses placed him across town at the time of the murder. The prosecution’s whole case rested on the testimony of an “earwitness” who claimed that she eavesdropped on a three-way phone call and heard a man, who said his name was Toforest, confess to the crime. But in 2019, it was finally revealed that the State secretly paid the witness $5,000 for her testimony. Despite all the evidence of his innocence, the State of Alabama continues to
aggressively seek Toforest’s execution. Will you join our fight to get justice in this case? Learn about three ways you can help Toforest right now.
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Kristine Bunch at the Innocence Network Conference. (Image: Kenny Karpov /Innocence Project)
“I Wanted to Have Another Baby. 17 Years of Wrongful Conviction Made That Virtually Impossible.”
Like the majority of the 300 women exonerated in the U.S., Kristine Bunch was wrongfully convicted for a crime that never happened. In 1996, she was wrongfully convicted of setting a fire that claimed the life of her three-year-old son. Kristine spent 17 years in prison before finally being exonerated with the help of the Center on Wrongful Convictions in 2012. Once she got out at the age of 39, she wanted to have another baby, but soon realized that the lack of a comprehensive record of her health and the poor quality of care she received in prison were major barriers in that pursuit. Take some time to read more about Kristine’s story and then share it with your friends and family online.
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Marcellus Williams. (Image: Courtesy of Marcellus Williams’ legal team)
For Marcellus Williams, Who Has Been on Death Row for 24 Years, Poetry Is a Lifeline
April was National Poetry Month, and like many of our clients, Marcellus Williams has found poetry to be an outlet for self expression. For the last 24 years, he’s been on death row for a crime that DNA evidence proves he didn’t commit. From stories of heartbreak and loneliness to pieces that celebrate nature and highlight climate change, Marcellus’ poems are deeply imbued with elements of his faith and are intended to offer comfort and support to those facing challenges in their lives. “If I felt that a poem would aid someone in looking at a traumatic, stressful or difficult situation in a different light from another perspective that could possibly be a step upon the path of healing, then I would write a poem for that person,” he said. Please, read more about Marcellus’ story and take a look at some of his moving poetry.
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A mural of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Image: Fibonacci Blue/Flickr)
What You Need to Know About Qualified Immunity And How It Shields Those Responsible for Wrongful Convictions
Qualified immunity is a judicial doctrine developed by the Supreme Court that shields public officials from liability for misconduct, even when they have broken the law. In 2020, the term was brought into mainstream conversations after the high-profile police-involved deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. In 2020 alone, police in the U.S. were responsible for over 1,000 fatalities, with Black people constituting 24% of those deaths. These tragic events spurred significant legislative changes, and here at the Innocence Project, we believe that ensuring police accountability is fundamental to preventing wrongful convictions. Please read more about qualified immunity and learn how the Innocence Project and our partners are pushing to
end a law shielding government misconduct in New York.
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 Innocence Project exoneree Renay Lynch at 2024
Innocence Network Conference in New Orleans. (Image: Claire Bangers/Innocence Project)
In Honor of Mother’s Day, Support the Innocence Project’s Work
The trauma of wrongful conviction can be especially difficult for wrongly incarcerated mothers who had their children ripped away from them during their incarceration. Having years with your children stolen away from you is unimaginable for most parents, but the sad reality for so many of the wrongly incarcerated women we’ve worked with over the years. More than 60% of women in prison have children under the age of 18 and nearly 80% of women in jail are mothers, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. The work we do every day to free innocent people is not only about reversing injustices, it’s about reuniting families and loved ones — and all of it is only possible because of the support of this community. So in honor of
Mother’s Day, will you make a donation to help keep this critical work going? Please donate today when all donations between now and Mother’s Day will be matched, $1-for-$1, up to $30,000.
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Exonerations Around the U.S.
Exoneration Project client Anthony Robinson was exonerated on April 8, 2024, after serving 11 years wrongfully incarcerated.
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