John: Scott Minton withstood 30 years of wrongful incarceration — and today, he is finally exonerated. 

Today the district attorney’s office for the 10th Judicial District of Tennessee dismissed all charges against Scott related to the 1993 aggravated rape, kidnapping, and robbery of a woman.

“I have always said I am innocent, and today my story has finally been heard. I want to thank my family for standing by me all of these years. I am excited to finally move forward with my life as a free man. Since being released, I’ve been spending my time outdoors, taking in fresh air, watching wildlife, and enjoying sunsets.” — Scott Minton

Tunnel vision, eyewitness misidentification (the leading contributor to wrongful convictions), and a false confession all led to Scott’s wrongful conviction. And despite the fact that time-stamped receipts from multiple stores and 18 alibi witnesses put Scott in a different county at the time of the crime, Scott was convicted and spent over 30 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. 

Please take a moment today to read more about Scott’s case and how the brilliant teams at the Innocence Project and Tennessee Innocence Project helped secure his freedom:

Today marks the first exoneration of an Innocence Project client in 2025, John. And it’s wins like these that remind us why the work at both the Innocence Project and Tennessee Innocence Project is so critical. We are thankful that the legal process that put Scott in prison is officially over and that he is finally free.

If you would like to send Scott a gift to celebrate his exoneration, you can donate to his GoFundMe.

Thank you,

Innocence Project