John —

When I was younger, I was always taught to respect the law and to trust that there are systems in place that will ensure fairness for all parties involved. I used to believe that everything I heard on the news was fact.

But in 2008, my sons Nathan and Philip were wrongly convicted for the 2002 murder of a young woman in Cabell County, West Virginia. It’s something I’d never wish on any parent. Watching what happened to them and being by their side every step of the way for 14 years really opened my eyes to the injustices and flaws of our criminal legal system.

As their mother, it was truly horrifying to experience. The feeling of helplessness seeing the two people you love most in this world being convicted of something they didn’t do is completely overwhelming — and I don’t want another mother to have to live through it.

That’s why today, in honor of Mother’s Day, I’m asking you to make a monthly donation to the Innocence Project to support the life-saving work they do every day. Without their tireless efforts, I don’t think my sons would be free and fully exonerated today.

John, because my children are finally free now, it means that we, as a family, are also free. The past 14 years have been the most trying and heartbreaking of our lives.

No mother or parent should have to endure the nightmare that we were put through. We are finally able to move forward and be a family again — and that is directly thanks to the Innocence Project.

So please, consider making a monthly recurring donation to the Innocence Project to support all the work they do to both free kids like my mine from wrongful incarceration and prevent wrongful convictions from happening in the first place.

Thank you so much,

Tammy Barnett