John —

In 2006, I was wrongly convicted of murder in Florida. I was exonerated in 2018 after spending almost two years behind bars pre-trial and 12 years in prison — including 10 years on death row.

The state of Florida stole more than a decade of my life, and yet they’ve denied me compensation for all the time they took from me. 

I wouldn’t wish what happened to me on anyone. Being incarcerated for a crime you didn’t commit isn’t just difficult for the person who’s locked up, it’s excruciatingly painful for their loved ones. 

People who’ve been put through the nightmare that is wrongful incarceration deserve to be compensated for their pain, but Florida’s restrictive compensation law means too many people like me aren’t getting what they deserve. We need to change that.

Even if you don’t live in Florida, you can help by sharing my story far and wide online so that others can learn more about this unfair compensation law.

John, the nonsensical reason Florida says it can’t compensate me is because I didn’t file my claim within 90 days of my conviction being overturned, as the law requires.

But the thing is, it would have been impossible for me to file within that period because, after my conviction was overturned in 2016, the State kept me in jail for two more years while prosecutors pursued a retrial with the intent to pursue the death penalty a second time. I wasn’t freed until prosecutors finally dropped all charges against me, exonerating me.

As soon as I was free, I filed the paperwork, but the judge who reviewed my claim said I had filed too late according to Florida’s law. They exploited a loophole and took the position that when my conviction was overturned, I went from being considered “incarcerated” to “in custody,” so I should have filed my claim then. But no one made me aware of this change while I was sitting in a jail cell. The same system that took away 14 years of my life has failed me yet again.

Even though nothing has changed in terms of my compensation, I am still grateful to God that I now have my freedom, and I’m going to fight every day to ensure that myself and my fellow exonerees in Florida get what we deserve.

So please, take a moment today to share my story on social media with your friends and family and bring awareness to Florida’s restrictive compensation law.

Thank you so much for your support,

Clemente Aguirre
Exonerated in 2018

P.S. You can support my personal fundraiser by donating here.