I barely had time to process the death of my infant son before I was being accused of his murder, and then I spent two decades in prison for a crime I did not commit. I’m grateful to have been free and cleared since 2014, but I’m still not economically stable after losing 20 years of my life — and career — to a wrongful conviction.
Michelle Murphy in New York City in 2019. Photo: Cory Chalumeau/Innocence Project.
With millions of people around the country losing their jobs due to the COVID-19 crisis, I’m as worried as anyone else. But if there’s one thing I learned during my time in prison, it’s that the worst thing you can do is give up hope.
If you can spare a few dollars, the Innocence Project is raising money to make sure that their exonerated clients are safe and healthy during this pandemic — and anything you can give will make a difference to an exoneree like me.
This community was there for me when I was in prison and when I took my first steps as a free person. I’m honored to serve now on the Innocence Project’s Exoneree Advisory Council to make sure that wrongfully convicted people — and especially wrongfully convicted women — have a voice as this organization grows.
The Innocence Project exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. www.innocenceproject.org
