Just in:
“Eternal City” Pompeii Exhibition Opens in Hunan, Marking New Sino-Italian Cultural Exchange // Musk Alleges Grok Was Misled and Predicts Tech Breakthroughs // Coffee Chains Join Bitcoin Mania with Bold Treasury Moves // Stonepeak Secures Strategic Co-Control of IFCO Stake // Record Global Interest Drives CDB’s Dual‑Currency Bond Triumph // Tokyo Real Estate Set for $75 Million Blockchain Shake‑Up // Nigeria’s Coastal Highway Passes $747 m Funding Milestone // Anhui Unveils Teaser for 2025 World Manufacturing Convention, Extending a Global Invitation to Innovate Together // Dong Yuhui’s Fujian Journey: The Sea’s Lesson – 30% Destiny, 70% Determination // BRICS Pledge Cooperation, Not Confrontation With U.S. // OPEC+ Eyes Pause in Production Rises After September Surge // ADNOC Gas Signs $400 Million LNG Deal with SEFE // Air Arabia Reinitiates Sharjah–Damascus Flights // Sharjah Elevates Real‑Estate Platform with New Digital Portal // IIT Delhi and TeamLease EdTech Kick‑start AI for Healthcare Executive Programme // BoE charts new wholesale terrain for stablecoins and tokenised assets // ICONSIAM Showcases Thai Creativity to the World with “Lost in DOMLAND” — Reinforcing Its Role as a Must-Visit Global Art Destination // TÜV SÜD Appoints Interim Leadership Following CEO Transition // Qingzhen’s Zhanjie Town Leverages Ecological Resources to Drive Industrial Upgrading and Integrate Culture and Tourism for Rural Revitalization // Abu Dhabi’s Masdar and Iberdrola Back £5 Billion UK Offshore Wind Venture //

Tennessee Man Gets $75 Check To "Restart His Life" After Being Wrongfully Imprisoned For 31 Years

In October 1977, a Memphis, Tennessee woman was raped in her home by two intruders.  The woman subsequently identified one of the perpetrators as her neighbor, 22 year old Lawrence McKinney.  One year later, McKinney was convicted on rape and burglary charges and sentenced to 115 years in prison.

The only problem is that he didn’t do it.  After spending 31 years in prison, DNA evidence cleared Mckinney of any wrongdoing in 2008 and he was later released in 2009 with a very “generous” check of $75 from the Tennessee Department of Corrections to help “restart his life.”  To add insult to injury, McKinney told CNN that “because I had no ID it took me three months before I was able to cash it.”

ADVERTISEMENT

McKinney

 

Now, a 61-year-old McKinney is asking Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam to exonerate him, a move that would clear a path to pursue up to $1 million in compensation from the state Board of Claims for 3 decades of wrongful imprisonment. The Tennessee Board of Parole, which makes recommendations to the governor on such issues, denied McKinney’s request for exoneration by a 7-0 vote at a hearing in September saying they could not “find clear and convincing evidence of innocence.”

“The (parole) board reviewed all relevant information related to the crime, conviction and subsequent appeals, as well as all information provided by the petitioner,” said Melissa McDonald, spokesperson for the Tennessee Board of Parole. “After considering all of the evidence, the board did not find clear and convincing evidence of innocence and declined to recommend clemency in this matter.”

 

One of McKinney’s attorneys, Jack Lowery, believes the decision should rest solely with Haslam.

 

“The parole board is not qualified to make these decisions and should not,” he said. “For the parole board to step in when many (of them) are not trained in the law is ridiculous.”

Apparently the parole board based their decision, in part, on McKinney’s admission to the 1977 burglary charge, an admission his lawyer at the time told him he needed to make if he wanted any shot at an early parole.

According to John Hunn, McKinney’s pastor and most ardent supporter, the board cited a list of 97 infractions that McKinney incurred while he was in jail, including the alleged assault of a fellow inmate, who testified against McKinney at the hearing. McKinney told the board he’d been in prison for years, and that “only the strong survive,” Hunn said. Hunn testified at the hearing on McKinney’s behalf.

 

“Lawrence has told that story at our church,” Hunn said. “He doesn’t deny that story. He was in prison, man.”

 

The parole board also knew that 28 years into his sentence, McKinney admitted to the burglary charge he was convicted of. McKinney said his lawyers at the time told him that if he wanted any chance of being released early, he would need to admit to something.

Despite being forced to waste more than half his life behind bars, Mckinney says he’s not bitter and just wants to “be treated right and fair for what has happened to me.”

“Although I’ve spent more than half of my life locked up for a crime I did not do, I am not bitter or angry at anyone, because I have found the Lord and married a good wife,” McKinney said. “All I ask is that I be treated right and fair for what has happened to me. I didn’t do nothing, and I just want to be treated right.”

Perhaps the “commuter-in-chief” could take a little break from pardoning hardened drug dealers to help clear someone that seemingly actually deserves a break.

Source link


Notice an issue?

Arabian Post strives to deliver the most accurate and reliable information to its readers. If you believe you have identified an error or inconsistency in this article, please don't hesitate to contact our editorial team at editor[at]thearabianpost[dot]com. We are committed to promptly addressing any concerns and ensuring the highest level of journalistic integrity.


ADVERTISEMENT
Just in:
Tokyo Real Estate Set for $75 Million Blockchain Shake‑Up // BRICS Pledge Cooperation, Not Confrontation With U.S. // UAE Hits Milestone with EU Delisting From High‑Risk Financial Watchlist // Nvidia is the dream stock of our lifetime! // Abu Dhabi’s Masdar and Iberdrola Back £5 Billion UK Offshore Wind Venture // Record Global Interest Drives CDB’s Dual‑Currency Bond Triumph // ADNOC Gas Signs $400 Million LNG Deal with SEFE // ICONSIAM Showcases Thai Creativity to the World with “Lost in DOMLAND” — Reinforcing Its Role as a Must-Visit Global Art Destination // CGTN: Beauty in diversity: How wisdom at Nishan Forum inspires global modernization // BoE charts new wholesale terrain for stablecoins and tokenised assets // Results of the ixCrypto Index Series Quarterly Review (2025 Q2) & IX Digital Asset Industry Index Series Half Yearly Review (2025 1H) // Stonepeak Secures Strategic Co-Control of IFCO Stake // TÜV SÜD Appoints Interim Leadership Following CEO Transition // Coffee Chains Join Bitcoin Mania with Bold Treasury Moves // OPEC+ Eyes Pause in Production Rises After September Surge // IIT Delhi and TeamLease EdTech Kick‑start AI for Healthcare Executive Programme // DNA‑Crafted Nanomachines Self‑Assemble in Water // Galaxy AI Elevates On‑Device Intelligence with Privacy at Core // Dong Yuhui’s Fujian Journey: The Sea’s Lesson – 30% Destiny, 70% Determination // Anhui Unveils Teaser for 2025 World Manufacturing Convention, Extending a Global Invitation to Innovate Together //