John —

In 1990, I was wrongly convicted of kidnapping and raping a woman in Georgia. At the time of the crime, I was 150 miles away with my fiancée and her family. But none of that mattered. I proclaimed my innocence in that courtroom and was called a liar. I spent 30 years in prison for a crime I didn’t commit — I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

On Nov. 4, 2020, I was released on $500,000 bail, after DNA testing proved my innocence. Ten months later, I was fully exonerated. All of this is thanks to the tireless work and efforts of my lawyer, Vanessa Potkin, and the team of paralegals who worked on my case at the Innocence Project.

I have my life back and words can’t do justice to my gratitude and appreciation for everyone at the Innocence Project, but there are so many innocent people who still need help, and that’s why I’m emailing you today.

Lawyers at the Innocence Project work on each client’s case for an average of seven years and it takes extensive DNA tests, experts, and investigators to be exonerated — that’s a lot of time, effort, and money, and it needs to be funded. Saturday is Wrongful Conviction Day, so to help honor the day, I’m asking for you to help support this life-saving work by becoming a monthly recurring donor.

Your money will go directly toward helping to free innocent people like me.

Thank you so much for your support. I deeply appreciate it.

Ron Jacobsen
Exonerated in 2021