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John —
Exoneree Henry James and his dog Coco need your help right now. They were recently displaced from their home ahead of Hurricane Ida and need support.
Will you please make a donation right now to help Henry secure housing and fulfill his dreams of starting his own business?
Henry James, who was exonerated from a rape conviction for which he served 29 years in prison, laughs as he eats his first meal, a shrimp po-boy and sweet potato fries, after being released from the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, LA, on Oct. 21, 2011. (Image: AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
In 1982, Henry, a 20-year-old father of two young kids, was wrongly convicted of rape and sentenced to life in prison without parole, even though serological testing had excluded him as the attacker — a fact that his lawyer failed to share with the jury. He was convicted largely based on the mistaken identification by the rape survivor, a white woman who lived next door to Henry in New Orleans’ Jefferson Parish. Eyewitness misidentification plays a role in 63% of Innocence Project cases and research shows identifications are even less accurate when the witness has to identify someone of a different race.
Henry spent 29 years in Angola prison — a former slave plantation in Louisiana — for a crime he didn't commit. In 2010, a crime lab official happened upon missing evidence in Henry's case. DNA testing proved his innocence and he was finally exonerated in 2011 with the help of the Innocence Project, the Innocence Project of New Orleans, and the law firm of Willkie Farr & Gallagher.
Since his wrongful incarceration, Henry has been trying to rebuild his life, working two jobs to support himself and his dog, Coco. He’s always dreamed about starting his own woodworking business.
But because he was displaced, his dreams have been put on hold — can you help him get back on track by making a donation right now?
Thank you so much for your help,
— The Innocence Project Team
P.S. You can read more about Henry and see some of his phenomenal work here.
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