Ahora también puedes explorar nuestro sitio en español. Si aún no lo has visto y prefieres leer en español haz click aquí: [[link removed]]

In case you didn’t know, we now have a Spanish language website. So if you haven’t seen it yet and you prefer your content in Spanish, please go explore the site now: [[link removed]]

John ,

During Hispanic Heritage Month, the Innocence Project is sharing the stories of some of their Latinx clients — this is my story:

In 1991, I was wrongly convicted of second-degree murder and robbery in New York City and sentenced to 25 years in prison. I was just a scared 18-year-old kid. There were some really dark times during my 25 years of wrongful incarceration, but my family is what got me through it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a happier person than my mom on the day I was exonerated.

I grew up in a close-knit family with loving, affectionate parents who raised us with strong cultural values. As an immigrant family from Colombia, we had to rely on those values and really support one another.

To this day, I don’t think I would’ve made it through all those years in prison without the love and strength of my family and the morals they instilled in me.

Please, read more about my story and my family — especially my caring mom — in this piece I wrote for Mother's Day in 2019: [[link removed]]

Being connected with my Colombian roots is very important to me. I watch Colombian news every day, speak with my family in Spanish, and I even try to visit Colombia at least once a year. But the thing that connects me most with my heritage is the delicious food.

Going to Medellin, Colombia is a must on your bucket list. Waking up and starting your day with a great cup of Colombian coffee and an arepa is key. Regardless of how health conscious I’ve become, eating a typical Colombian meal called “bandeja paisa” is so relishing and culturally rewarding. It makes you realize how great it is to be Colombian. The meal comes with rice, beans, pork rinds (chicharrón) sausage (chorizo), steak or ground beef, corn griddle cake (arepa), sliced avocados, sweet plantains, a fried egg and a drink of your choice.

It all sounds so simple, but it’s the little things like this that I missed while in prison. Throughout my wrongful conviction, all I thought about was eating any of the meals I grew up with — the smell, the taste, the way it makes me feel, it’s all immensely nostalgic. For me, Colombian food is more like an experience rather than just a meal, and I really missed it.

So after I was freed and exonerated, finally waking up the next morning and being able to have an arepa with my coffee felt like heaven!

I celebrate my heritage every chance I get, whether that’s singing and dancing with family or just enjoying the little things like a good cup of coffee while watching the Colombian news. It’s all about the experience.

If you can, please read more about my story and my family, and then share it with your networks online: [[link removed]]

Thanks,

Johnny Hincapie
Exonerated in 2015


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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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