John —

Herman Williams walked free yesterday, after 29 years of wrongful conviction! And today, Herman, his family, and his attorneys at the Innocence Project and the Illinois Innocence Project, and all of us are celebrating his long-overdue freedom: [[link removed]]

Herman, who was wrongly convicted in 1994 for the murder of his ex-wife, was represented by Innocence Project attorney Vanessa Potkin and Lauren Kaeseberg of the Illinois Innocence Project. His conviction was overturned based on new DNA evidence in addition to faulty forensics, and police and prosecutorial misconduct.

The judge ordered Herman’s immediate release and his attorneys picked him up and drove him to a nearby park where his family was waiting to celebrate his freedom.

“It’s finally sinking in,” he said as they drove away from the prison.

Take a moment to learn more about his case, and then share the news of his exoneration with your friends and family on social media: [[link removed]]

In 1993, Herman’s ex-wife went missing in Gurnee, Illinois. During the investigation, local police and the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force focused on Herman as the only possible suspect, ignoring other leads in the case. Herman always maintained his innocence. But based on a fabricated confession, scientifically unsupported forensic pathology, and a trial where the prosecution suppressed favorable evidence and defense counsel was wholly inadequate, he was wrongly convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole in February 1994.

“This horrific crime not only robbed two children of their mother, but because of a flawed investigation, lies from police and prosecutors, and withheld evidence, they also had their father taken from them,” said Lauren Kaeseberg, Herman’s attorney at the Illinois Innocence Project. “Mr. Williams lost nearly three decades of his life, and his children had to grow up thinking their own father killed their mother — because of the misconduct and faulty forensics that plagued this case. We have to push for more accountability and transparency among law enforcement and prosecutors to prevent more families being torn apart by wrongful conviction.”

Herman is the 22nd person to be exonerated and/or released through the work of the Illinois Innocence Project and the 240th through the work of the Innocence Project.

We know that it’s never too late for fact-based justice to prevail, and here at the Innocence Project, we will continue to fight for people like Herman who have lost out on years of their life due to the failings of the criminal legal system.

Please, read more about Herman’s case and follow his journey as he rebuilds his life in freedom: [[link removed]]

Thank you for your support,

— The Innocence Project Team

P.S. If you’d like to help Herman rebuild his life after 29 years of wrongful incarceration, you can help fulfill some of the items on his Amazon Wish List: [[link removed]]


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The Innocence Project works to free the innocent, prevent wrongful convictions, and create fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone. Founded in 1992 by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, the organization is now an independent nonprofit. Our work is guided by science and grounded in antiracism.

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