Innocence Project

BREAKING: Jimmie “Chris” Duncan is released on bail Wednesday after 27 years on death row at Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola. He spent more than three decades wrongfully incarcerated for a crime that never occurred. Chris was wrongfully accused of the 1993 death of his live-in girlfriend’s 23-month-old daughter, Haley, who was found unconscious in a bathtub. His conviction was based on incentivized jailhouse informant testimony and misleading forensic evidence such as “bite mark” matching — presented by discredited forensic analysts Michael West and Steven Hayne, who are responsible for at least nine other wrongful convictions. In May 2025, a judge ruled that clear and convincing evidence proves Chris is factually innocent. “Mr. Duncan’s release marks a significant step forward in his decades-long fight for justice — but the fight is not over,” said Chris Fabricant, his Innocence Project attorney. Read more: https://bit.ly/4ofLq5z Photo credit: Jamal Barnes.

A new ruling from New Jersey that deems the “shaken baby syndrome” theory unreliable for admission at trials could prove helpful in the case of Robert Roberson. Robert was wrongfully convicted of killing his 2-year-old daughter Nikki in 2003 based on the now-debunked SBS theory. He’s been on death row in Texas for the last 22 years, and there is medical evidence that proves that Nikki’s death was caused by natural reasons. Roberson’s legal team is awaiting its next court date that could give him the chance to prove his innocence but the state keeps pushing back on it. Read more on Robert’s case in The Dallas Morning News: https://bit.ly/4oceavX

Death penalty cases are plagued with racism and systemic flaws such as police misconduct and false testimony. A new report, Fatal Flaws: Innocence, Race and Wrongful Convictions, from the ACLU shows that wrongful convictions aren’t just accidents, but are combined with racism, human error and systemic failures. “The death penalty was built on a foundation of racism, and those roots still shape how it works today,” said Megan Byrne, senior staff attorney at ACLU’s Capital Punishment Project. “...The only way to prevent wrongful convictions is to end the death penalty once and for all.” Read the full report here: https://bit.ly/3K1EWcC

Texas almost executed an innocent man, Robert Roberson last month. Robert, who has maintained his innocence for the last 22 years, was wrongfully convicted of his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki’s death. New medical evidence shows that Nikki died of natural causes, and not the “shaken baby syndrome,” that became the reason for Robert's wrongful incarceration. If executed, Robert would have been the first person in the country to have been put to death based on SBS. About 38 people have been exonerated in cases related to SBS, most of which happened after Robert’s conviction. Several people—including chief detective Brian Wharton—are rallying behind Robert and are demanding a fresh trial in his case. “I wasn’t comfortable with his conviction from very early on,” Wharton, now a pastor, told The Nation. “I earnestly believed that just a good appeal would give him some form of relief.” Read Robert’s story of innocence in The Nation: https://bit.ly/4plV6wm

Every year the Innocence Network Conference brings together directly impacted people, advocates and others who work to free the innocent, prevent wrongful conviction and provide post-release support to people like Herman. He spent 29 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. For Herman — and hundreds of other exonerees — The Innocence Network Conference is more than an event. It’s a safe haven, a community of support, and a reminder that they are not alone. This giving season, give back to the freedom fighters of our justice system. Help exonerees like Herman get to the Innocence Network Conference. GoFundMe https://lnkd.in/e6C4Ajyq

Remembering Dr. Edward Blake, a pioneer in the DNA revolution, who secured the first-ever post-conviction DNA exoneration. Dr. Blake passed away earlier this year at the age of 80. A fierce intellect, Dr. Blake’s biological work opened the doors to innocence for many. In 1992, he was the first to use DNA to free a man who had been sentenced to death. “These weren’t abstract milestones. They were turning points in the lives of real people — people who had been silenced, forgotten, or written off,” Innocence Project co-founder Peter Neufeld said. “Dr. Blake helped give them back their names, their freedom, and their future.” Read The Innocence Project’s obituary of Dr. Blake here: https://lnkd.in/esC5WmDB

We did it! An absolute honor accepting this The Anthem Awards yesterday for our collective work on #commutetherow last year—which took 37 people off the federal death row—along with Madeo and MissionWired. Thank you to everyone that supports our mission!

For Termaine Hicks and Sherrill Roland, art is a form of reclamation. After facing wrongful convictions, both men turned to art to process trauma, rebuild trust, and make meaning from years lost to injustice. Backed by research, the artists’ work highlights the power of human-centered storytelling in building empathy, and motivating action for justice in the criminal legal space. Read more about how exonerees Sherrill and Termaine use art to inspire empathy in others. https://bit.ly/3K9MaLy

We are finalists for two The Anthem Awards, along with our partners at MissionWired and Madeo, and were selected from over 2,000 submissions across 42 countries! Stay tuned for updates as we attend The Anthem Awards Ceremony in New York City tomorrow. We received two nominations our campaign to stop Marcellus Williams’ execution and #CommuteTheRow, resulting in President Biden commuting the sentences of 37 people on the federal death row. https://lnkd.in/eShzSx9K Thank you to everyone who supports our mission! 

Calvin Duncan spent 28 years behind bars in Louisiana for a crime he never committed. Last week he became the newly elected clerk of the criminal court in New Orleans. A client of Innocence and Justice Louisiana, Calvin only had an eighth-grade education when he was first incarcerated, but trained himself to be a lawyer while still in prison. Calvin’s run for office was seen as a long-shot but he had a resounding victory winning by a nearly 68% majority, as per unofficial results. “I hope that all those people who died in prison because we couldn’t get their records are looking down now. I hope they’re proud of me,” Calvin said in a statement. “We never stopped fighting for each other’s rights, and I will never stop fighting for yours.” Read his story here: https://bit.ly/4o3ZcIx