via Flickr
Jerome Johnson spent 30 years in prison for a crime he DID NOT commit. This happens all the time, believe it or not.
Fortunately, Johnson was freed from prison thanks to the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, who took up his case.
In 1988 Johnson was accused of being a part of the killing of a man in the Nite Owl Bar in Baltimore. He maintained his innocence, but one witness placed him at the scene. That was enough for him to be locked up for DECADES.
Even though the person who did it ADMITTED their guilt in 2000 and said Jerome had nothing to do with it, it wasn’t until now - almost 20 years after that admission - that he’s been let go. And it took new evidence being presented.
With the help of DNA evidence and new movements focused on proving the innocence of people swept up by racism and mass incarceration, exonerations are at an all-time high. An overwhelming amount of people being freed are Black, of course.
As for Jerome, he’s suing the police, saying they withheld the evidence that would have proven him innocent. He certainly has every right to! Here’s to hoping he gets what he’s owed and more.