Jaythan Kendrick was arrested for the murder of a 70-year-old woman during a robbery in Queens, New York in November 1994 — but he didn’t commit this crime.
Today, after 25 years of wrongful incarceration, Jaythan has finally been freed. A judge vacated his conviction based on newly discovered DNA evidence and witnesses that strengthened his long-standing claims of innocence.
Jaythan Kendrick, who was freed and exonerated after 25 years, celebrates after his hearing in Queens on Nov. 19, 2020. (Image: Ben Hider for AP/ Innocence Project)
Police zeroed in on Jaythan, an Army veteran and postal worker with a disability and no criminal record, hours after the murder based on a description of the attacker given by a 10-year-old who saw the attack from his third floor apartment.
Jaythan’s story is unfortunately not an uncommon one. Eyewitness misidentifications, often as a result of poor identification procedures, have contributed to approximately 69% of wrongful convictions overturned by post-conviction DNA testing in the United States.
Jaythan spent decades trying to right this wrong, but the system failed him every step of the way. For 25 years, he has endured an unimaginable injustice.
“I never thought this day would materialize,” Jaythan said after learning he was going to be exonerated. “Tomorrow I am going to wake up and go home. I saw so many other people get to leave and I was still here. Finally the truth is out that I didn't commit this crime."
The Innocence Project exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. www.innocenceproject.org
