1 00:00:01,360 --> 00:00:05,040 Speaker 1: I had the privilege of interviewing Jimmy Dennis on April 2 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:08,920 Speaker 1: first of twenty nineteen, shortly after he was released from 3 00:00:09,039 --> 00:00:13,200 Speaker 1: death row in Pennsylvania. He served twenty five and a 4 00:00:13,240 --> 00:00:17,120 Speaker 1: half years and had two execution dates actually scheduled. I mean, 5 00:00:17,120 --> 00:00:19,599 Speaker 1: I'm talking about they asked him what his last meal 6 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:22,319 Speaker 1: was going to be, where he wanted his remains to 7 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:26,239 Speaker 1: be taken. It's unbelievable. Twenty five and a half years 8 00:00:26,239 --> 00:00:29,120 Speaker 1: he lived in his tiny cell on death row with 9 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:32,200 Speaker 1: the lights on. They never turned him off, and yet 10 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:35,920 Speaker 1: he came out joyful, with a bounce in his step, 11 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:39,440 Speaker 1: ready to get back, you know, as much as he 12 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: could of what he had lost. And here's the incredible thing. 13 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:46,279 Speaker 1: He was a singer when he was wrongfully arrested when 14 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:48,560 Speaker 1: he was eighteen years old. He was on the verge 15 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:52,479 Speaker 1: of getting a record deal with his group. And the 16 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 1: good news is that a few months ago he made 17 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 1: his on stage singing debut in New York City at 18 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 1: the Church of Rock and Roll event. At Gospel he's 19 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:02,640 Speaker 1: saying Hallelujah, and he killed it. I gotta be honest 20 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:05,760 Speaker 1: with you. Now, he's in the process of launching a 21 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 1: dog grooming business with his wife. The business plan is 22 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 1: set and I think they're going to make it a 23 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:16,400 Speaker 1: real success. He's also been the subject of the first 24 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:21,640 Speaker 1: Now This video documentary of the Rawful Conviction podcast and 25 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:26,319 Speaker 1: it is a beautiful, beautiful piece. He's a beautiful, beautiful guy. 26 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: And Jimmy, if you're listening, I hope you're smiling and 27 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:35,279 Speaker 1: sleeping well too, because you deserve nothing but the best 28 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 1: of everything, and we're here to share your story. Please 29 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 1: sit back and listen to Jimmy Dennis. 30 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 2: This Paul is from a correction facility and is subject 31 00:01:53,280 --> 00:02:16,040 Speaker 2: to monitoring and recording. 32 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:10,440 Speaker 3: And a hundred years that's man. 33 00:02:10,440 --> 00:02:11,240 Speaker 4: I'm a kid. 34 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:14,520 Speaker 3: I didn't do anything, you know, and uh, you know 35 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 3: that was ah, that was real painful, man, you know, 36 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:21,880 Speaker 3: because my life was discarded as if you know, like 37 00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:23,720 Speaker 3: I was a piece of trash or something, you know, 38 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:26,840 Speaker 3: one hundred years and I had dreams and I wanted 39 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:29,720 Speaker 3: to do things. I wasn't committing crimes, you know. I 40 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:31,640 Speaker 3: was a very good young man. 41 00:02:31,919 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 5: That is what happened. In so many cases, the cops 42 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:37,640 Speaker 5: have a hunch because they're so smart. At the scene, 43 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:41,359 Speaker 5: they have a hunch, and once they act on that hunch, 44 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:44,839 Speaker 5: they sort of developed tunnel vision and they take off 45 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:47,480 Speaker 5: marching in the wrong direction, and that happens in so 46 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:49,120 Speaker 5: many of these wrongful convictions. 47 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 6: They opened it uh to sell door, and I walked downstairs, 48 00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:58,200 Speaker 6: and I actually walked downstairs to be outside. It felt 49 00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:01,960 Speaker 6: very strange, like I said, to be walking without those 50 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:04,120 Speaker 6: shackles on my feet. I thought it was a dream. 51 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 6: But then again, it wasn't a dream. 52 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:15,919 Speaker 1: This is wrongful conviction. Welcome back to wrongful conviction. Today, 53 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:19,360 Speaker 1: I have a guest whose story has to be heard 54 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:23,200 Speaker 1: to be believed. It's a Philadelphia story. It's a death 55 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:28,880 Speaker 1: penalty story. And it's sort of a miracle actually that 56 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:33,560 Speaker 1: you're even here at all under the circumstances, much less 57 00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 1: with a smile on your face. So and he does 58 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:38,920 Speaker 1: have a big smile. So I want to welcome to 59 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:40,800 Speaker 1: wrongful conviction. Jimmy Dennis. 60 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:41,839 Speaker 4: Thank you so much. 61 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:46,160 Speaker 1: Jason, Oh, you're welcome. And like I always say, I'm 62 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:50,280 Speaker 1: sorry you're here, but I'm glad you're here. And I 63 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 1: want to get right into it because I think it's 64 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 1: super important to talk about this case, not only because 65 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:00,960 Speaker 1: it was a death penalty case, but also because of 66 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:04,560 Speaker 1: the facts of your case being so bizarre and that 67 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:07,640 Speaker 1: there was never anything to connect you to this crime, 68 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:09,320 Speaker 1: not that I know about it right now. 69 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:14,440 Speaker 7: The case happened October twenty second, nineteen ninety one, in 70 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:16,320 Speaker 7: the Fern Rock station of Philadelphia. 71 00:04:16,520 --> 00:04:19,480 Speaker 4: A young lady by the name A Shadell. 72 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:23,680 Speaker 7: Williams was rutally murdered for peer ear rings by three men. 73 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:25,799 Speaker 1: Four hundred and fifty dollars earrings pier. 74 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:27,600 Speaker 4: Four hundred and fifty dollars ear rings. 75 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:30,800 Speaker 1: Right, a high school girl. And when they say four 76 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:33,480 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty dollars earrings, I'm assuming that's retails. Whoever 77 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:36,880 Speaker 1: whoever killed her for these earrings probably got maybe one hundred. 78 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:38,000 Speaker 4: Dollars for it, right at best. 79 00:04:38,279 --> 00:04:40,520 Speaker 1: That's what her life was worth, a high school girl. 80 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:45,279 Speaker 7: Right when this happens, it's a high profile case. The 81 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 7: community is outraged by so on and so forth. In Philadelphia, 82 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:54,200 Speaker 7: there's a lot of pressure in high profile cases for 83 00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:56,640 Speaker 7: the cops to sib crime. 84 00:04:56,839 --> 00:04:59,240 Speaker 1: So you weren't there when it happened. 85 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:00,200 Speaker 4: No, I wasn't there. 86 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:01,600 Speaker 1: In fact, you weren't even close by. 87 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:02,760 Speaker 4: I wasn't even close by. 88 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:05,200 Speaker 1: Well, let's go back to that, because where were you, 89 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:08,400 Speaker 1: and how did they end up? Like it seemed so 90 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:11,880 Speaker 1: random that you were several miles away, and then yet 91 00:05:11,960 --> 00:05:14,240 Speaker 1: they ended up picking you up. And then the whole 92 00:05:14,279 --> 00:05:16,800 Speaker 1: thing goes sideways and backwards from there. 93 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:18,960 Speaker 7: So at the time of the crime, I was on 94 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:24,479 Speaker 7: a bus in Philadelphia called the K Bus, traveling to 95 00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:29,600 Speaker 7: abbas Ford Projects, where I seen someone familiar, you know 96 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:31,840 Speaker 7: what I mean, just the acquaintance I said hi to 97 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:36,760 Speaker 7: all this was instantiated right, even the time I said 98 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:39,360 Speaker 7: that I got on the bus and got off the stop. 99 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:43,240 Speaker 7: The bus driver testified that that was correct, right, So 100 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:47,040 Speaker 7: all these things were stantiated. So the police came around. 101 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:49,680 Speaker 7: They went to every neighborhood in the city of Philadelphia, 102 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:51,280 Speaker 7: and they started. 103 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:52,360 Speaker 4: Picking up stick up boys. 104 00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:57,480 Speaker 7: And when they did that, a group of individuals lied 105 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:02,240 Speaker 7: and said my name for or ungodly reasons of jealousy 106 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:03,680 Speaker 7: or whatever you might. 107 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:04,279 Speaker 4: Want to call it. 108 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:05,520 Speaker 1: And you were twenty one. 109 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:08,960 Speaker 7: I was twenty one. I was barely I was a 110 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:13,000 Speaker 7: young man. I wasn't even a man. I had many 111 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:16,680 Speaker 7: aspirations of being in the music business. I would come 112 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:19,160 Speaker 7: up here to New York to the New Music Seminar 113 00:06:19,839 --> 00:06:23,400 Speaker 7: every year. My group was one of the best amateur 114 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:27,600 Speaker 7: groups in Philadelphia, and we were receiving interest from. 115 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:31,080 Speaker 4: You know, music people. What group was that sensation? And 116 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:33,279 Speaker 4: we had won many talent shows. 117 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 1: What kind of style of music was it? R and B? 118 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:38,799 Speaker 1: And you were the singer, I was the lead singer well, 119 00:06:39,040 --> 00:06:41,120 Speaker 1: and so yeah, who knows, we might even cross paths 120 00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:46,039 Speaker 1: at the New Music know It. But but then things 121 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:48,240 Speaker 1: obviously went took a terrible. 122 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:51,760 Speaker 7: Terror and then things just started to turn from there. 123 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:54,279 Speaker 4: You even see in the statements that. 124 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:56,960 Speaker 7: They all had talked on the phone or whatever, and 125 00:06:57,000 --> 00:06:59,680 Speaker 7: then they just you know, made up this you know 126 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:03,320 Speaker 7: Storrey that I, you know, had on these clothes and 127 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:06,640 Speaker 7: that I was doing these things, and the police ran 128 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:06,919 Speaker 7: with it. 129 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:08,680 Speaker 4: But none of these people ever testified. 130 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:11,360 Speaker 1: I mean, were you caught up in the gang life 131 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:11,720 Speaker 1: or anything. 132 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:12,560 Speaker 4: I wasn't caught up. 133 00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:15,320 Speaker 7: In any gang life or anything like that. I wasn't, 134 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:17,440 Speaker 7: you know, in any type kind of gangs. 135 00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:18,400 Speaker 4: It really not. 136 00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:21,520 Speaker 7: Really gangs in Philadelphia like that at that time, you 137 00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:22,040 Speaker 7: know what I mean. 138 00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:24,600 Speaker 4: So this was just people in the. 139 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:27,960 Speaker 7: Neighborhood didn't like me, you know what I mean. I 140 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:31,960 Speaker 7: had no significant criminal history whatsoever. I had a misdemeanor 141 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:33,880 Speaker 7: drug offense. 142 00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:34,400 Speaker 4: On my record. 143 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:36,960 Speaker 7: Uh, and that's all I ever had on my record 144 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 7: up until the time that I was arrested. So going 145 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:44,200 Speaker 7: back from the misdemeanor, I had a picture, you know, 146 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:47,080 Speaker 7: mugshot that the police kept in the number one spot 147 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:50,880 Speaker 7: the entire time when they were showing witnesses the photo rays. 148 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:55,880 Speaker 7: So one witness said, I think so. They said, can 149 00:07:55,920 --> 00:07:58,800 Speaker 7: you be sure? They said no yet, and still they 150 00:07:58,920 --> 00:07:59,520 Speaker 7: ran with that. 151 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:02,360 Speaker 1: And what was the description of the subject? 152 00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 7: Uh, five to ten to six feet tall, to one 153 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:08,320 Speaker 7: hundred and eighty to two hundred pounds, dark skin complexion. 154 00:08:08,640 --> 00:08:11,280 Speaker 7: Now when they say dark skin complexion, they talk about 155 00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:14,560 Speaker 7: Miles Davis or Wesley Snipes. You sitting here before me, 156 00:08:14,960 --> 00:08:17,840 Speaker 7: you know, I'm brown skin. I weigh one hundred and 157 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:20,440 Speaker 7: twenty five pounds at the time, I had a diminutive 158 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:24,040 Speaker 7: frame and I'm five four in height. There's no way 159 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:26,160 Speaker 7: you're going to get five nine to five ten six 160 00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:28,840 Speaker 7: foot one eighty to two hundred pounds from a hundred 161 00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:31,280 Speaker 7: and twenty five and you're not going to ever mix 162 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:35,640 Speaker 7: me up with Wesley Snipes or Miles Davis. 163 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:40,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean that should have been a moment that 164 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 1: alone for everybody to go, well, Okay, let's just look 165 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:46,439 Speaker 1: and see if he's got an alibi, and if he does, 166 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:49,160 Speaker 1: we maybe wouldn't even need that, maybe would just say, well, okay, 167 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:52,200 Speaker 1: the description doesn't work. The one witness who at least 168 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:56,560 Speaker 1: is even saying anything still isn't sure. But that would 169 00:08:56,559 --> 00:08:59,880 Speaker 1: have been inconvenient, yes, right, because they would have had 170 00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:01,920 Speaker 1: to go back to the drawing board. And we know 171 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:05,120 Speaker 1: how these things work, especially in Philly in the early nineties. 172 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:08,800 Speaker 1: I mean, it was a time where I would say 173 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:11,400 Speaker 1: that from what I know about the history of Philadelphia, 174 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:13,439 Speaker 1: it probably would have been a time when Philadelphia was 175 00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:17,720 Speaker 1: probably the wrongful conviction capital of America. They were arresting 176 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:22,599 Speaker 1: and beating up people of color, yes, and everybody. But 177 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:26,160 Speaker 1: it was basically a policy, and it came from the top. 178 00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:29,480 Speaker 1: There was that infamous police chief Rizzo, who became the mayor, 179 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:34,880 Speaker 1: and he was a notoriously brutal, lawless type of a guy, 180 00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:36,679 Speaker 1: an area. 181 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:39,560 Speaker 7: That I grew up in in North Philadelphia. Abbas for projects, 182 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:45,240 Speaker 7: there are literally five people that have been proven to 183 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:48,800 Speaker 7: be innocent, myself included, that have all come home. And 184 00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:52,200 Speaker 7: Anthony Wright, who I believe you may have had on 185 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:55,520 Speaker 7: this show. Is one of the guys that came from 186 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:59,160 Speaker 7: North Philadelphia. Him and I have the same. 187 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:03,560 Speaker 4: Police that worked on his case, did the same thing 188 00:10:03,679 --> 00:10:03,960 Speaker 4: to me. 189 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:07,040 Speaker 1: And there's an amazing I'm glad you brought that up 190 00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:10,480 Speaker 1: because there's an incredible article that ran in Rolling Stone 191 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:14,360 Speaker 1: magazine about Tony Wright's case, and I'll never forget there 192 00:10:14,360 --> 00:10:16,280 Speaker 1: was a pull quote in that article where it said 193 00:10:16,280 --> 00:10:20,760 Speaker 1: that in whatever year that was nineteen ninety or something 194 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:23,800 Speaker 1: that he was convicted, it said a black man had 195 00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:27,000 Speaker 1: a better chance of getting justice in Philadelphia, Mississippi than 196 00:10:27,040 --> 00:10:28,760 Speaker 1: they did in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 197 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:31,320 Speaker 4: That is so true. 198 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:33,640 Speaker 1: I mean, I'm happy to see that now we have 199 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:37,280 Speaker 1: a whole different situation in Philadelphia with Larry krast. 200 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:39,000 Speaker 4: Get much better with mister Krasner. 201 00:10:39,280 --> 00:10:41,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, and you know it had to change. But you 202 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:44,280 Speaker 1: were caught up in exactly the wrong place at exactly 203 00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:47,800 Speaker 1: the wrong time. So at what point did they arrest you? 204 00:10:47,880 --> 00:10:49,679 Speaker 1: Was it a day or two after the crowd? 205 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:52,640 Speaker 7: So as soon as I heard like this is one thing, 206 00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:55,480 Speaker 7: that one other thing that people don't know, I got 207 00:10:55,559 --> 00:10:58,240 Speaker 7: arrested like a month later. But as soon as I 208 00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:01,959 Speaker 7: heard any rumors in the neighborhood of my name being mentioned. 209 00:11:02,520 --> 00:11:05,600 Speaker 7: Actually went down to the police station and asked him 210 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:07,520 Speaker 7: did they want to speak to me? And stayed down 211 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:10,120 Speaker 7: there for over four hours, and they did not want 212 00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:13,320 Speaker 7: to speak to me. Everybody has this thing about what 213 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:14,520 Speaker 7: innocent people should do. 214 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:17,800 Speaker 4: You don't run, you go to the police station, so 215 00:11:17,840 --> 00:11:18,600 Speaker 4: on and so forth. 216 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:22,360 Speaker 7: So I get arrested November twenty third, nineteen ninety one. 217 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:25,840 Speaker 7: So before I get arrested, I went down there, me 218 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:28,560 Speaker 7: and my father and my brother asked him did they 219 00:11:28,559 --> 00:11:30,240 Speaker 7: want to talk to me? I signed in the police 220 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:32,960 Speaker 7: law book. All this was said at trial they didn't 221 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:35,120 Speaker 7: want to talk to me. But two weeks later they 222 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:36,000 Speaker 7: came and arrested me. 223 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:37,520 Speaker 4: In a nightmare began. 224 00:11:38,280 --> 00:11:41,120 Speaker 7: I did everything you supposed to do, and I still 225 00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:42,720 Speaker 7: got my life stolen away. 226 00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:45,280 Speaker 1: And so you go to trial when you had a 227 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:47,320 Speaker 1: quarter point lawyer, I'm assuming no. 228 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:53,080 Speaker 7: Actually, my dad and I you know, paid for my 229 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:59,080 Speaker 7: first attorney. It wasn't quarter point. My dad was a musician, 230 00:11:59,120 --> 00:12:01,040 Speaker 7: He wasn't rich anything like that. 231 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:04,080 Speaker 4: We were poor. But my dad put the money together 232 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:05,160 Speaker 4: and he got me. 233 00:12:06,840 --> 00:12:09,840 Speaker 7: What we thought was a you know, decent enough lawyer 234 00:12:10,240 --> 00:12:11,959 Speaker 7: to represent me, but he did not. 235 00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:12,600 Speaker 4: Do his job. 236 00:12:13,360 --> 00:12:14,800 Speaker 1: How much time did you get to spend with him 237 00:12:14,840 --> 00:12:15,439 Speaker 1: before the trial? 238 00:12:15,840 --> 00:12:16,160 Speaker 4: None? 239 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:18,640 Speaker 1: None, none, He never visited. 240 00:12:18,720 --> 00:12:20,360 Speaker 7: You came to see me one time to tell me 241 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:23,160 Speaker 7: that they were charging me with more cases, and that's it. 242 00:12:24,800 --> 00:12:25,040 Speaker 4: Left. 243 00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:28,360 Speaker 7: I would call him all the time, no answer, so 244 00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:29,240 Speaker 7: on and so forth. 245 00:12:29,320 --> 00:12:30,120 Speaker 4: It was that bad. 246 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:34,160 Speaker 1: Wow, And then you go to trial. Then I go 247 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:37,360 Speaker 1: to trial with an attorney you don't even know, Yeah, 248 00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:39,400 Speaker 1: who doesn't really know much about your case. 249 00:12:39,559 --> 00:12:43,360 Speaker 4: Right, who's really not investigating things like that? And you know, 250 00:12:43,679 --> 00:12:44,960 Speaker 4: so on and so forth. It was. 251 00:12:45,760 --> 00:12:49,520 Speaker 7: It was the typical nightmare that you had come to 252 00:12:49,559 --> 00:12:51,800 Speaker 7: know with all the great work that you do. 253 00:12:52,679 --> 00:12:58,160 Speaker 4: But it was the typical standard. Okay, don't care. 254 00:12:58,880 --> 00:13:00,280 Speaker 1: I mean he wasn't really the face I think you 255 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:02,040 Speaker 1: so much as processing you at the prison. 256 00:13:02,679 --> 00:13:03,200 Speaker 4: There you go. 257 00:13:03,960 --> 00:13:07,760 Speaker 1: And I mean, was he alcoholic or no. 258 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:11,760 Speaker 7: There was an article at the time that set him 259 00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:15,120 Speaker 7: and two other attorneys took on the most homicide cases 260 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:17,000 Speaker 7: in the city of Philadelphia. 261 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:19,280 Speaker 4: It kind of came out like in the mid nineties. 262 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:22,320 Speaker 1: But you know, so he was just taking as many 263 00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:23,920 Speaker 1: cases as he could get to make as much money 264 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:25,840 Speaker 1: as he could and not really worrying about the outcome. 265 00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:28,080 Speaker 4: Yeah, that's how I feel. 266 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:32,000 Speaker 1: So it sounds like me. I mean when you say 267 00:13:32,040 --> 00:13:33,640 Speaker 1: they were trying to put other cases on you. 268 00:13:34,200 --> 00:13:38,040 Speaker 4: I was charged with over nine other robbery cases. 269 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:40,199 Speaker 7: They tried to make it look like I was Jesse James, 270 00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:41,959 Speaker 7: and I was nothing of the sort. 271 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:43,439 Speaker 4: If you go back in. 272 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:47,560 Speaker 7: My community and you do your own type of investigation, 273 00:13:47,679 --> 00:13:50,679 Speaker 7: which my lawyers and everybody do, everybody be like, Yo, 274 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:52,560 Speaker 7: he was a good kid, you know what I mean. 275 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:55,720 Speaker 7: You know, nobody's perfect, but he ain't. No, you know, 276 00:13:55,760 --> 00:13:57,719 Speaker 7: he ain't no robbery, he ain't no murdering, he ain't 277 00:13:57,760 --> 00:13:59,760 Speaker 7: no stick up with you know what I mean. So 278 00:14:01,160 --> 00:14:05,199 Speaker 7: I was charged with nine other cases that were later dropped, 279 00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:05,920 Speaker 7: all except for. 280 00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:09,719 Speaker 1: One, all except for the one the original one, or 281 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:11,080 Speaker 1: except for another one besides that. 282 00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:13,440 Speaker 4: All except for another one besides that. 283 00:14:13,559 --> 00:14:16,440 Speaker 1: Yeah. So you go to trial, right, and you charged 284 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:19,520 Speaker 1: with capital murder, which is murder in the act of 285 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:22,640 Speaker 1: committing another felony, which was robbing her of the earrings. Right, Yes, 286 00:14:23,440 --> 00:14:25,760 Speaker 1: And so how long did the trial last? 287 00:14:26,240 --> 00:14:30,840 Speaker 7: The trial went from September about twenty first twenty fifteen 288 00:14:30,920 --> 00:14:34,800 Speaker 7: October sixteenth. I was found guilty October nineteenth, they gave 289 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:36,600 Speaker 7: me the death penalty. 290 00:14:36,800 --> 00:14:39,560 Speaker 4: Each part of that trial, it was horrible. 291 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:43,360 Speaker 7: I still relived even to this day everything that I 292 00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:46,520 Speaker 7: went through, because you don't think that this is. 293 00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:47,120 Speaker 4: Going to happen to you. 294 00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:50,720 Speaker 7: You think, even then, you believe that the truth is 295 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:52,520 Speaker 7: going to come out, that you believe in the system, 296 00:14:52,560 --> 00:14:56,440 Speaker 7: that everybody can see that I'm not five ten, two 297 00:14:56,480 --> 00:14:58,400 Speaker 7: hundred pounds in dark skinned complexion. 298 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:03,320 Speaker 4: But you had a prosecutor that was something of a 299 00:15:03,400 --> 00:15:05,720 Speaker 4: theme on law and order, right. 300 00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:10,920 Speaker 7: You had jury members going to sleep, literally going to sleep. 301 00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:15,160 Speaker 4: No mistrial. It was just a nightmare from beginning to end. 302 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:18,600 Speaker 1: I mean that's a pretty long trial. And I'm assuming 303 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:20,680 Speaker 1: that your lawyer wasn't doing much. What was he doing 304 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:21,760 Speaker 1: just sitting there listening? 305 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:27,720 Speaker 7: Nah, he was he he was doing I guess you 306 00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:31,440 Speaker 7: could say he was doing I don't know what he 307 00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:34,560 Speaker 7: was doing, to be perfectly honest with you, Jason, I 308 00:15:34,600 --> 00:15:36,880 Speaker 7: don't know what he was doing. All I know is 309 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:41,040 Speaker 7: that it was the entire thing was a nightmare from 310 00:15:41,080 --> 00:15:43,200 Speaker 7: beginning and the end. There's a part in the trial 311 00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:45,120 Speaker 7: like if you go back and look at the transcripts, 312 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:49,760 Speaker 7: they even took my height right, and they get out 313 00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:51,760 Speaker 7: of tape measure and they take my height so they 314 00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:55,600 Speaker 7: see that I'm actually you know, five to four and 315 00:15:55,800 --> 00:15:57,640 Speaker 7: I'm only five to five with this one and a 316 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:00,920 Speaker 7: half inch ill on right. Yeah, I mean, none of 317 00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:04,160 Speaker 7: that made a difference to the jury. The fact that 318 00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:09,400 Speaker 7: this crime took place within seconds. And you know, doctor 319 00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:13,320 Speaker 7: Elizabeth Loaffers say, can't nobody identify nobody in two minutes, 320 00:16:13,800 --> 00:16:14,920 Speaker 7: let alone seconds? 321 00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:15,680 Speaker 4: You know what I mean. 322 00:16:15,720 --> 00:16:19,400 Speaker 7: This is a violent crime, you know what I mean. 323 00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:22,920 Speaker 7: So you know, if somebody runs into the studio right here, 324 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:25,760 Speaker 7: and you know it robs us right now, nine times 325 00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:27,960 Speaker 7: out of ten, we all gonna get it wrong when 326 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:29,440 Speaker 7: it comes to the physical description. 327 00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:31,280 Speaker 4: Nobody paid attention to that. 328 00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:35,520 Speaker 1: Right in this crime, this took place. There was a chase. 329 00:16:36,480 --> 00:16:39,360 Speaker 1: The poor girl was after her her earrings were stolen. 330 00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:42,400 Speaker 1: She was shot in the throat. She was with a 331 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:45,240 Speaker 1: friend who was luckily not harmed. But we know also 332 00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:49,200 Speaker 1: from decades of research that in cases in which someone 333 00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:52,480 Speaker 1: is up close when the violent crime is being committed, 334 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:56,320 Speaker 1: we know that that person is much more likely to 335 00:16:56,760 --> 00:17:00,800 Speaker 1: mistakenly identify someone because you're in makes sense if you 336 00:17:00,800 --> 00:17:03,280 Speaker 1: think about it, right, Your adrenaline is going crazy. Your 337 00:17:03,280 --> 00:17:06,160 Speaker 1: own life is threatened. It's all that fight or flight 338 00:17:06,280 --> 00:17:08,800 Speaker 1: and all those reflexes and impulses and all the nerve 339 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:12,440 Speaker 1: endings are going crazy. And there have been experiments where 340 00:17:12,440 --> 00:17:15,440 Speaker 1: they they've actually staged the crime, right, and then they 341 00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:18,280 Speaker 1: bring in people from the outside, and they found that 342 00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:20,800 Speaker 1: people who weren't there have a better chance of being right. 343 00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:24,320 Speaker 1: So actually those witnesses are not even as good as guessing. 344 00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:27,440 Speaker 1: So in this case, you had all of those factors, right. 345 00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:32,200 Speaker 7: Yeah, So you actually had three witnesses you know, that testify, 346 00:17:32,320 --> 00:17:36,680 Speaker 7: but you actually had over nine witnesses and the other 347 00:17:37,359 --> 00:17:42,800 Speaker 7: six you know, didn't testify because they didn't say what 348 00:17:43,040 --> 00:17:46,600 Speaker 7: the police wanted them to say. They actually said the opposite. 349 00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:49,119 Speaker 1: What about the other evidence that showed that you were 350 00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:49,800 Speaker 1: somewhere else? 351 00:17:49,920 --> 00:17:52,600 Speaker 4: That evidence was with hell for over a. 352 00:17:52,560 --> 00:17:54,719 Speaker 1: Decade, and which evidence was that? All? 353 00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:55,000 Speaker 6: Right? 354 00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:59,000 Speaker 7: So there was a welfare receiat from the young lady 355 00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:03,000 Speaker 7: that I seen on the bus that stantiated my innocense 356 00:18:03,040 --> 00:18:06,560 Speaker 7: as well that the police went to her, threatened her, 357 00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:11,360 Speaker 7: and they took the welfare receipt from her. Now welfare 358 00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:14,159 Speaker 7: receipts are done in military time. She had picked up 359 00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:16,720 Speaker 7: her welfare receipt and then she had got on the 360 00:18:16,760 --> 00:18:20,520 Speaker 7: same k bus that I was on, So the receipt 361 00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:25,160 Speaker 7: said thirteen oh three. They told her that it set 362 00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:27,960 Speaker 7: three h three pm because she couldn't tell military time. 363 00:18:28,680 --> 00:18:29,200 Speaker 4: So when she. 364 00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:32,600 Speaker 7: Takes the stand, she says exactly what they wanted her 365 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:35,200 Speaker 7: to say, that she seen me it, you know, later 366 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:37,480 Speaker 7: on that day and not the actual time that she 367 00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:38,200 Speaker 7: did see me. 368 00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:41,040 Speaker 1: Right, So had they not lied about that, then you 369 00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:43,360 Speaker 1: couldn't have been there because they know the crime. 370 00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:46,600 Speaker 7: Happened exactly, so that that stayed hidden away. 371 00:18:46,960 --> 00:18:48,879 Speaker 1: That was one thing. There were there other things that 372 00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:49,920 Speaker 1: were withheld as well. 373 00:18:50,200 --> 00:18:52,920 Speaker 7: So the clothes that they said they took from my 374 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:55,800 Speaker 7: father's house that the police officers got on the stand 375 00:18:55,840 --> 00:18:57,240 Speaker 7: and testified about. 376 00:18:57,040 --> 00:18:59,399 Speaker 4: And said they were their closed that was used at 377 00:18:59,400 --> 00:18:59,720 Speaker 4: the crime. 378 00:18:59,760 --> 00:19:04,959 Speaker 7: Non the witnesses ever seeing these clothes, they weren't cataloged 379 00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:09,719 Speaker 7: and they suddenly poof disappeared, right, and all this stuff 380 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:13,520 Speaker 7: could have helped prove my innocence, you know, going back 381 00:19:13,560 --> 00:19:16,880 Speaker 7: to other evidence, there still was never two. 382 00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:17,679 Speaker 4: Other people locked up. 383 00:19:17,680 --> 00:19:20,040 Speaker 7: There's supposed to be three people to the crime, but 384 00:19:20,119 --> 00:19:23,680 Speaker 7: only one person was ever arrested, which was me, right. 385 00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:29,879 Speaker 4: So there's all these holes, you know, but it's all 386 00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:33,240 Speaker 4: come from the same prosecutor and police officers. 387 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:37,800 Speaker 1: And the very real consequence of this, aside from the 388 00:19:37,840 --> 00:19:41,760 Speaker 1: obvious terrible injustice that was done to you and your family, 389 00:19:42,760 --> 00:19:46,720 Speaker 1: is the fact that there's no justice for Shadell Williams. 390 00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:50,560 Speaker 1: Not to mention that the citizens of Philadelphia remained in 391 00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:53,280 Speaker 1: danger with these two or three guys how many it 392 00:19:53,359 --> 00:19:56,520 Speaker 1: was that actually committed this robbery and murder being out 393 00:19:56,560 --> 00:19:59,080 Speaker 1: on the loose because you were in there instead of them. 394 00:19:59,359 --> 00:20:05,520 Speaker 7: That's the har other situation that that family hasn't gotten justice. 395 00:20:05,560 --> 00:20:06,760 Speaker 4: And when you lie. 396 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:11,239 Speaker 7: About something to someone, you dishonored a victim and you 397 00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:13,240 Speaker 7: dishonored their family as well. 398 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:16,679 Speaker 1: So let's go back to that day of the verdict. 399 00:20:17,119 --> 00:20:21,120 Speaker 1: Can you give us a picture of the courtroom that day. 400 00:20:21,359 --> 00:20:23,440 Speaker 1: I mean, you had now been in the system for 401 00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:27,920 Speaker 1: almost a year, but you still said you had hope 402 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:31,000 Speaker 1: and you still believe that no one could possibly convict 403 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:33,359 Speaker 1: you because you knew that you weren't there. You knew 404 00:20:33,359 --> 00:20:35,880 Speaker 1: that none of the evidence match, You knew you had alibis, 405 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:39,200 Speaker 1: but you also knew that you know this trial had 406 00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:42,000 Speaker 1: been sort of a you know, for lack of a 407 00:20:42,040 --> 00:20:43,640 Speaker 1: better word, I'll say with a clusterfuck. 408 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:44,680 Speaker 6: Yes. 409 00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:47,679 Speaker 1: But even with all of that, did you still have 410 00:20:47,840 --> 00:20:50,000 Speaker 1: hope that the jury was going to do the right thing. 411 00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:53,000 Speaker 7: I still had hope that the jury was going to 412 00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:58,359 Speaker 7: do the right thing because I always had faith, period, 413 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:00,159 Speaker 7: ever since I was a kid. I always had that, 414 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:03,080 Speaker 7: you know, faith in God that you know, I could 415 00:21:03,119 --> 00:21:07,040 Speaker 7: get through anything. So I'm sitting there and I'm praying 416 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:10,280 Speaker 7: that the right thing is going to happen, that people 417 00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:14,040 Speaker 7: sitting on this jury would be able to see through 418 00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:16,960 Speaker 7: all the you know, the lies and things like that, 419 00:21:17,119 --> 00:21:20,280 Speaker 7: or that nature that went on in that courtroom. You know, 420 00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:23,040 Speaker 7: when you look at the physical description, when you're seeing that, 421 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:26,160 Speaker 7: stuff just don't make sense, you know what I mean. 422 00:21:27,320 --> 00:21:28,200 Speaker 4: And I had hope. 423 00:21:28,240 --> 00:21:32,720 Speaker 7: So when they stood me up and then they read 424 00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:38,320 Speaker 7: the verdict, it was like like somebody just knocked the 425 00:21:38,320 --> 00:21:41,000 Speaker 7: wind out of me. It was like Tyson hitting somebody, 426 00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:45,960 Speaker 7: you know. I immediately started crying. I remember my mom crying. 427 00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:49,600 Speaker 7: I remember my sister rocking back and forth. I remember 428 00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:54,200 Speaker 7: friends that I grew up with, men crying. Everybody broke 429 00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:56,879 Speaker 7: down and just started crying because nobody could believe that 430 00:21:56,920 --> 00:22:00,679 Speaker 7: this was happening, because a lot of lives would destroyed 431 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:04,120 Speaker 7: on that day, A lot of dreams were destroyed. 432 00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:07,199 Speaker 4: It was a horrible scene. You know when you hear 433 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:08,520 Speaker 4: these cries and. 434 00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:11,400 Speaker 7: These wells, and you you like in this moment that's 435 00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:14,480 Speaker 7: so sad and like out of body, like you don't 436 00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:17,000 Speaker 7: want to be in here, and you know when I'm 437 00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:19,040 Speaker 7: shaking and I can't believe it. 438 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:22,240 Speaker 1: And then you said a few days later, you were 439 00:22:22,320 --> 00:22:26,120 Speaker 1: sentenced to death right, which is the only thing worse 440 00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:29,000 Speaker 1: that could happen to everything that's already happened. Right, And 441 00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:31,120 Speaker 1: then you get taken I. 442 00:22:31,119 --> 00:22:33,800 Speaker 4: Get taken to the greatest for a prison. 443 00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:35,879 Speaker 7: From there you go to Camp Hill, and then you 444 00:22:35,920 --> 00:22:39,040 Speaker 7: get your destination of what prison that you go to. 445 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:42,200 Speaker 7: So I wound up at huntingon death Row. After these 446 00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:44,960 Speaker 7: other two stops of death row. You know what I mean, 447 00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:46,560 Speaker 7: you get your first taste of death row. 448 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:50,080 Speaker 1: Can you explain what that's like for the audience? 449 00:22:51,359 --> 00:22:58,120 Speaker 7: That process going on death row is your shackle Your 450 00:22:58,160 --> 00:23:00,359 Speaker 7: feet and your hands are shackled. They got like a 451 00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:03,399 Speaker 7: belt in a black box on you. You literally can't 452 00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:09,040 Speaker 7: move and they basically strip you neckd which is a 453 00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:12,680 Speaker 7: very dehumanizing process. When you come, they got the cameras 454 00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:15,280 Speaker 7: on you and all that stuff, and then they throw 455 00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:19,320 Speaker 7: you in the shell, you know, and then the nightmare 456 00:23:20,119 --> 00:23:24,560 Speaker 7: gets even worse if you can believe it. You know, 457 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:30,520 Speaker 7: prison is such a dehumanizing place. Prison is meant to 458 00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:37,040 Speaker 7: destroy families and relationships of everybody. And being on death row, 459 00:23:37,119 --> 00:23:40,800 Speaker 7: you're considered the worst of the worst, less than human, 460 00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:43,320 Speaker 7: and you get it from all sides, you know what 461 00:23:43,359 --> 00:23:46,320 Speaker 7: I mean. Even though you got people in general population 462 00:23:47,040 --> 00:23:50,159 Speaker 7: that may have worse crimes, it's a perception about people 463 00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:52,000 Speaker 7: on death row like they're the worst of the worst, 464 00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:55,840 Speaker 7: you know, so you catch it, catch it from all sides. 465 00:23:56,600 --> 00:23:59,240 Speaker 7: What you gotta understand, you can't be in prison for 466 00:23:59,320 --> 00:23:59,879 Speaker 7: nothing like that. 467 00:24:00,840 --> 00:24:01,920 Speaker 4: So when I. 468 00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:06,360 Speaker 7: Say that I went through hell, it's actually an understatement 469 00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:09,960 Speaker 7: to describe what I went through. I got it from 470 00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:14,000 Speaker 7: every side, guards, prisoners. I was basically in a fight 471 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:19,159 Speaker 7: for my life just to be whole, period. 472 00:24:19,359 --> 00:24:22,200 Speaker 1: And that is because the case was such a high 473 00:24:22,240 --> 00:24:22,960 Speaker 1: profile case. 474 00:24:23,119 --> 00:24:24,600 Speaker 4: It was a high profile case. 475 00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:27,879 Speaker 7: But back then you couldn't be in prison for nothing 476 00:24:27,960 --> 00:24:30,639 Speaker 7: like this, anything that had to do with a woman 477 00:24:30,760 --> 00:24:31,240 Speaker 7: or a child. 478 00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:34,199 Speaker 4: You can't be in prison. This is real prison. 479 00:24:34,240 --> 00:24:38,960 Speaker 7: I was in, you know, real situations where I was jumped. 480 00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:41,520 Speaker 4: I was you know, had to fight, you know what 481 00:24:41,560 --> 00:24:43,760 Speaker 4: I mean. I had to defend myself. You know what 482 00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:45,080 Speaker 4: I mean. I was jumped, I. 483 00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:49,159 Speaker 7: Was set up by guards, I was rolled on by prisoners, 484 00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:52,720 Speaker 7: on and so forth. It was a living nightmare, something 485 00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:55,360 Speaker 7: that you never recover from, something. 486 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:56,520 Speaker 4: That you never get over. 487 00:24:56,560 --> 00:24:59,600 Speaker 7: I got teeth in my mouth right here that are 488 00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:05,040 Speaker 7: broke and fixed from stuff I went through in prison. 489 00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:08,000 Speaker 7: You know, the battle scars are still on me and 490 00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:15,240 Speaker 7: in my soul. My situation is just like what we 491 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:17,119 Speaker 7: all know that Kylief Brouder went through. 492 00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:18,679 Speaker 4: I went through a lot of that. 493 00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:30,480 Speaker 1: And you were on death row for a quarter of 494 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:31,000 Speaker 1: a century. 495 00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:34,600 Speaker 7: Yeah, I spent twenty five point five years in prison. 496 00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:40,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, how did you maintain sanity? How'd you maintain hope? 497 00:25:40,359 --> 00:25:42,879 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, if someone want to meet you now, 498 00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:46,159 Speaker 1: they would have no idea that you've been through this. 499 00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:48,800 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, there's that saying that everyone you 500 00:25:48,840 --> 00:25:51,439 Speaker 1: meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Just 501 00:25:51,480 --> 00:25:54,479 Speaker 1: be kind, but this is the extreme version of that. 502 00:25:54,800 --> 00:25:57,159 Speaker 1: I mean, everyone's going through their stuff. You don't know 503 00:25:57,200 --> 00:25:59,679 Speaker 1: what anyone's going through. It might be all heartbreak, might 504 00:25:59,720 --> 00:26:01,920 Speaker 1: have just lost their job. Who knows what. You all 505 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:05,360 Speaker 1: have our stuff, But this is a different level. I mean, 506 00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:10,480 Speaker 1: this is an extraordinary ordeal for anybody to go through 507 00:26:10,480 --> 00:26:12,240 Speaker 1: and survive. And I'm sure there were a bunch of 508 00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:13,960 Speaker 1: people that you met, a bunch of men you met 509 00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:19,280 Speaker 1: on death row who didn't survive. I mean that that is. 510 00:26:19,359 --> 00:26:23,520 Speaker 7: Kind of trippy because when I was in there, I've 511 00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:27,240 Speaker 7: seen people kill theyself. You see the body bags come in, 512 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:28,840 Speaker 7: and you see the ambulance come in. 513 00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:31,760 Speaker 4: You see people die from. 514 00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:35,040 Speaker 7: Natural causes or what have your dehabilitating diseases. 515 00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:39,200 Speaker 1: But how did you, like, what was it that allowed 516 00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:43,640 Speaker 1: you to, you know, persevere and to not not take 517 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:45,960 Speaker 1: your own life and not go down this rabbit hole 518 00:26:45,960 --> 00:26:47,160 Speaker 1: that so many of the guys went there. 519 00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:51,240 Speaker 7: So when you in prison, for me to sit here 520 00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:54,000 Speaker 7: and tell you that I never thought about suicide. 521 00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:54,120 Speaker 4: That's a lie. 522 00:26:55,119 --> 00:26:58,920 Speaker 7: Many times, even when I was in the county because 523 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:01,960 Speaker 7: like I told you, I was suffering so greatly. 524 00:27:03,359 --> 00:27:06,320 Speaker 4: And nobody was hearing my crowd. 525 00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:09,280 Speaker 7: Like one time I was literally gonna take my life 526 00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:11,800 Speaker 7: because I just couldn't take it, you know what I mean, 527 00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:16,639 Speaker 7: I'm innocent, and I'm not getting proper representation that. You know, 528 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:19,320 Speaker 7: everything is going on. You know, the cops done, you know, 529 00:27:19,359 --> 00:27:23,399 Speaker 7: frame me, whatever the case may be. So for me, 530 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:26,800 Speaker 7: I once read this book by Victor E. Frankel called 531 00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:29,800 Speaker 7: A Man Search for Mean And in this book he 532 00:27:29,880 --> 00:27:34,000 Speaker 7: had this quote by Nietzsche. It said, he who, he 533 00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:36,240 Speaker 7: who has a why, I can bear with almost anyhow. 534 00:27:37,119 --> 00:27:40,920 Speaker 7: And my why has always been my daughters and my mom, 535 00:27:41,359 --> 00:27:43,840 Speaker 7: you know what I mean. Like I literally connected with 536 00:27:43,920 --> 00:27:47,320 Speaker 7: it so much because here it was they had no hope, 537 00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:51,240 Speaker 7: and he created hope for himself, and he didn't give up. 538 00:27:51,359 --> 00:27:53,680 Speaker 7: You know the stories he would tell the other people 539 00:27:54,359 --> 00:27:57,080 Speaker 7: in the concentration camps about their family so. 540 00:27:57,000 --> 00:27:59,720 Speaker 4: That they could live and survive and have hope with 541 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:00,840 Speaker 4: some you know. 542 00:28:01,560 --> 00:28:06,840 Speaker 7: And for me, I would do the same thing. I 543 00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:12,440 Speaker 7: would visualize myself home with my daughters someday. 544 00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:14,960 Speaker 1: Let's talk about your daughters. What are their names? 545 00:28:15,600 --> 00:28:18,560 Speaker 7: My oldest daughter's name for Team, and my youngest daughter's 546 00:28:18,600 --> 00:28:19,320 Speaker 7: name Kiara. 547 00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:22,320 Speaker 1: And when you went to prison, one of them wasn't 548 00:28:22,359 --> 00:28:23,080 Speaker 1: even born yet. 549 00:28:23,240 --> 00:28:24,639 Speaker 4: Kiara wasn't born. 550 00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:29,800 Speaker 7: She was born one week after I was stolen away. 551 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:33,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, so you never got to see her until you 552 00:28:33,040 --> 00:28:33,840 Speaker 1: got out of prison. 553 00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:36,960 Speaker 7: My dad would bring her to see me a lot 554 00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:40,320 Speaker 7: that the family would bring them to see me, but 555 00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:44,640 Speaker 7: I never literally spent a day with them with her 556 00:28:44,720 --> 00:28:49,400 Speaker 7: until I got out. So everything I went through was 557 00:28:49,440 --> 00:28:52,440 Speaker 7: for them and my father, you know. And then I 558 00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:55,840 Speaker 7: wanted to restore my family name. 559 00:28:55,760 --> 00:28:59,920 Speaker 4: Back, you know. And for me faith, faith in God 560 00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:02,479 Speaker 4: was the key in music. 561 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:06,360 Speaker 7: And so every day I would wake up, I would 562 00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:11,120 Speaker 7: hear these songs in my mind. Literally because it didn't 563 00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:13,600 Speaker 7: have a good radio station up there, couldn't listen to the. 564 00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:14,640 Speaker 4: Music I wanted to listen to. 565 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:18,720 Speaker 7: But every day I would hear the Wantings, Trusting God, 566 00:29:19,240 --> 00:29:22,840 Speaker 7: John Coltrane, Dear Lord. And then I would hear Bruce 567 00:29:22,840 --> 00:29:27,280 Speaker 7: Springsteen in the East Street Band, Bruce Springsteen, as you know, 568 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:30,800 Speaker 7: he has all these wonderful ad libs, all right, come on, 569 00:29:31,160 --> 00:29:34,800 Speaker 7: you know, and I would play Hungry Hard or Born 570 00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:36,400 Speaker 7: and run in my head, you know what I mean. 571 00:29:36,560 --> 00:29:39,280 Speaker 7: Then it would go to Stevie Wonder if It's Magic 572 00:29:39,400 --> 00:29:42,960 Speaker 7: and Fleetwood Mac Don't Stop, And every day those songs 573 00:29:42,960 --> 00:29:43,760 Speaker 7: would play. 574 00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:45,120 Speaker 4: In secession in my head. 575 00:29:45,480 --> 00:29:47,560 Speaker 7: And then I would get up, I would work on 576 00:29:47,600 --> 00:29:51,000 Speaker 7: the Justice for Jimmy campaign. I would work on legal work. 577 00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:54,600 Speaker 7: I would call my lawyers, I would discuss law within them, 578 00:29:54,680 --> 00:29:58,680 Speaker 7: legal issues, how to you know, proceed and what we 579 00:29:58,680 --> 00:30:03,000 Speaker 7: should do and things like that. And I just I 580 00:30:03,040 --> 00:30:07,040 Speaker 7: think everybody has it in them, you know, to make 581 00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:09,640 Speaker 7: it out of any situation if they believe. And I 582 00:30:09,760 --> 00:30:13,640 Speaker 7: just knew and believe that my dead truth was going 583 00:30:13,720 --> 00:30:16,120 Speaker 7: to come. On every single letter, if you would have 584 00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:17,960 Speaker 7: received a letter from me in prison, and you would 585 00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:20,600 Speaker 7: have opened it up on the top head of the 586 00:30:20,600 --> 00:30:23,840 Speaker 7: paper said praying for the truth. And that was my model, 587 00:30:23,880 --> 00:30:26,680 Speaker 7: praying for the truth. And I always believe that my 588 00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:28,040 Speaker 7: dead truth was gonna come. 589 00:30:28,640 --> 00:30:30,320 Speaker 1: I see you have a bracelet on it says in 590 00:30:30,360 --> 00:30:33,000 Speaker 1: big letters, never ever give up, Never ever. 591 00:30:32,920 --> 00:30:36,000 Speaker 4: Give up, and this one say not throwing away my shot. 592 00:30:36,480 --> 00:30:39,960 Speaker 7: My lawyers from Arnold and Porter, who are liked my family, 593 00:30:41,160 --> 00:30:43,600 Speaker 7: gave me these when when I came home. 594 00:30:44,360 --> 00:30:48,400 Speaker 1: Now we understand how you found this extra gear, this 595 00:30:48,480 --> 00:30:54,400 Speaker 1: extra this extraordinary otherworldly grace or whatever it is that 596 00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:57,960 Speaker 1: allowed you to maintain yourself and maintain your sanity in 597 00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:03,040 Speaker 1: an insane situation. How did you end up getting out. 598 00:31:03,160 --> 00:31:03,880 Speaker 1: How'd that work? 599 00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:07,680 Speaker 7: You know, for so long I labored just trying to 600 00:31:07,760 --> 00:31:10,920 Speaker 7: yell out that I was innocent, over and over again, 601 00:31:11,360 --> 00:31:15,880 Speaker 7: and the system felled me horridly over and over again 602 00:31:16,360 --> 00:31:20,520 Speaker 7: until I got the Federal Court. On August twenty first, 603 00:31:20,600 --> 00:31:25,160 Speaker 7: twenty thirteen, the Honorable Judge Nita Brody gave this forty 604 00:31:25,160 --> 00:31:28,640 Speaker 7: six page legal opinion that breaks down the truth. 605 00:31:28,400 --> 00:31:29,720 Speaker 4: About what happens to me. 606 00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:34,120 Speaker 7: And the part that met everything to me was the 607 00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:35,200 Speaker 7: first paragraph. 608 00:31:35,400 --> 00:31:37,200 Speaker 4: If you read that opinion, it says. 609 00:31:37,400 --> 00:31:41,480 Speaker 7: James Dennis was wrongfully convicted of this crime. 610 00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:44,560 Speaker 1: And she called it a quote grave miscarriage of justice. 611 00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:48,200 Speaker 1: And she's she wrote that police and prosecutors ignored, lost, 612 00:31:48,320 --> 00:31:50,440 Speaker 1: or covered up evidence that was favorable to. 613 00:31:50,400 --> 00:31:55,160 Speaker 7: You, and then came three years later, because nothing happens 614 00:31:55,200 --> 00:31:58,880 Speaker 7: that quick. The Third Circuit, the entire panel ruled in 615 00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:03,120 Speaker 7: a majority decision vote. You know that it was a 616 00:32:03,120 --> 00:32:07,560 Speaker 7: great mischaracter justice that started the wills rolling to me 617 00:32:07,800 --> 00:32:11,960 Speaker 7: getting home. So you know, the DA offered a deal 618 00:32:12,560 --> 00:32:16,480 Speaker 7: to get me out, and it was something that I 619 00:32:16,480 --> 00:32:20,479 Speaker 7: didn't want to do and something that bothers me to 620 00:32:20,520 --> 00:32:21,000 Speaker 7: this day. 621 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:25,240 Speaker 4: But sometimes you got to make decisions. 622 00:32:25,280 --> 00:32:30,040 Speaker 7: That's best for your family and not so much you 623 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:32,920 Speaker 7: or just to get you out, you know what I mean, 624 00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:35,640 Speaker 7: because you might be in there another five years and 625 00:32:35,760 --> 00:32:37,600 Speaker 7: you don't know what's going to happen, because I was 626 00:32:38,560 --> 00:32:41,560 Speaker 7: literally at the end of my role. So if they 627 00:32:41,560 --> 00:32:44,200 Speaker 7: appeal this decision, you go to the US Supreme. 628 00:32:43,880 --> 00:32:48,000 Speaker 1: Court, and most people ask me that aren't familiar with 629 00:32:48,040 --> 00:32:51,920 Speaker 1: this work, how could it be that this real judged 630 00:32:51,960 --> 00:32:54,720 Speaker 1: need to Brody called this a grave mischaracter justice said 631 00:32:54,760 --> 00:32:57,880 Speaker 1: you were innocent. Then the Third Circuit Court ruled, I 632 00:32:57,960 --> 00:33:00,480 Speaker 1: think was nine to four strong majority. 633 00:33:00,240 --> 00:33:04,200 Speaker 4: Strong majority, and it's a very scathing legal opinion. 634 00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:10,840 Speaker 1: Quote evidence suppressed by the prosecution, a receipt corroborating Dennis's alibi, 635 00:33:10,880 --> 00:33:15,640 Speaker 1: an inconsistent statement by the Commonwealth's key eyewitness, and documents 636 00:33:15,680 --> 00:33:19,600 Speaker 1: indicating that another individual committed the murder effectively gutted the 637 00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:23,640 Speaker 1: Commonwealth's case against Dennis. And she finishes by saying, I'm 638 00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:27,360 Speaker 1: getting it chilled. The withholding of these pieces of evidence 639 00:33:27,440 --> 00:33:30,680 Speaker 1: denied Dennis a fair trial and state court. So they 640 00:33:30,760 --> 00:33:33,440 Speaker 1: ruled that you were innocent. And then people say, well, 641 00:33:33,680 --> 00:33:36,360 Speaker 1: doesn't that mean in America you go home and you're innocent. 642 00:33:36,440 --> 00:33:38,280 Speaker 1: But That's not the way it works sometimes, is it. 643 00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:39,760 Speaker 4: No, that's not the way it worked. 644 00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:42,600 Speaker 7: They were going to appeal to the US Supreme Court 645 00:33:42,840 --> 00:33:46,680 Speaker 7: because no one's really trying to say we made a mistake, 646 00:33:46,720 --> 00:33:48,840 Speaker 7: we did anything wrong. So that would have took more 647 00:33:48,920 --> 00:33:52,320 Speaker 7: years out of my life. If you look and just 648 00:33:52,400 --> 00:33:55,360 Speaker 7: ask comparison. If you look at the Anthony Right case, 649 00:33:56,080 --> 00:33:58,640 Speaker 7: it took him three years to go to trial after 650 00:33:58,680 --> 00:34:01,560 Speaker 7: the DNA evidence proved diminising. Then he still had to 651 00:34:01,600 --> 00:34:03,680 Speaker 7: go to trial. Why do you have to go to 652 00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:07,880 Speaker 7: trial and the DNA evidence? So this is Philadelphia, This 653 00:34:07,920 --> 00:34:09,680 Speaker 7: is not where people. 654 00:34:09,680 --> 00:34:12,920 Speaker 1: Are going to do the right thing, Johnson. 655 00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:16,920 Speaker 7: There you go, and I can name other cases William 656 00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:19,640 Speaker 7: niaz On and so forth, and the list goes on 657 00:34:19,680 --> 00:34:20,840 Speaker 7: where they don't want. 658 00:34:20,640 --> 00:34:21,520 Speaker 4: To do the right thing. 659 00:34:22,520 --> 00:34:26,360 Speaker 7: So I would have spent another three to five years 660 00:34:26,440 --> 00:34:29,800 Speaker 7: or more in prison, and we wouldn't even be sitting 661 00:34:29,800 --> 00:34:30,400 Speaker 7: here talking. 662 00:34:31,200 --> 00:34:33,040 Speaker 1: And you could have died in there too, I mean 663 00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:36,080 Speaker 1: just from deprivation. You could die in there. But and 664 00:34:36,080 --> 00:34:37,920 Speaker 1: then I want to go back to the you know 665 00:34:37,960 --> 00:34:39,440 Speaker 1: said it was a scathing opinion. 666 00:34:39,640 --> 00:34:40,480 Speaker 4: Yes, how did it. 667 00:34:40,400 --> 00:34:42,000 Speaker 1: Feel to hear those words? 668 00:34:43,360 --> 00:34:46,600 Speaker 7: So I'm sitting there in prison. So I just want 669 00:34:46,640 --> 00:34:48,920 Speaker 7: to take you back to when the first one happened. 670 00:34:50,080 --> 00:34:52,400 Speaker 7: Every day I used to walk back and forth and 671 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:53,399 Speaker 7: I'm looking for. 672 00:34:55,200 --> 00:34:56,080 Speaker 4: A sign. 673 00:34:57,680 --> 00:35:01,120 Speaker 7: For unit manage your account. So that runs the block 674 00:35:01,160 --> 00:35:03,440 Speaker 7: to come and say you got to call your lawyers 675 00:35:03,480 --> 00:35:05,640 Speaker 7: because your lawyer's called up here good news or whatever. 676 00:35:05,719 --> 00:35:08,440 Speaker 7: You don't know, or it might be a family emergency. 677 00:35:08,480 --> 00:35:11,840 Speaker 7: This particular day, it didn't even click in. I'm thinking 678 00:35:12,360 --> 00:35:15,879 Speaker 7: something bad had happened with my mom because I had 679 00:35:15,880 --> 00:35:22,759 Speaker 7: already lost my dad very tragically. You know, he died 680 00:35:22,800 --> 00:35:25,880 Speaker 7: from all timer's and didn't even remember who I was. 681 00:35:25,960 --> 00:35:29,320 Speaker 7: But just to let you know, when my dad found 682 00:35:29,360 --> 00:35:31,560 Speaker 7: out that I was actually going to try out back 683 00:35:31,560 --> 00:35:35,480 Speaker 7: in nineteen ninety two, he had a stroke sitting at 684 00:35:35,480 --> 00:35:37,319 Speaker 7: the table and he never was the same again. 685 00:35:37,640 --> 00:35:37,759 Speaker 1: Wo. 686 00:35:38,080 --> 00:35:40,200 Speaker 7: So this is the kind of stuff that I endure. 687 00:35:40,880 --> 00:35:45,800 Speaker 7: So that day they come to sell, they say, you 688 00:35:45,840 --> 00:35:48,359 Speaker 7: gotta call your lawyers. I call my lawyers. A guy 689 00:35:48,480 --> 00:35:52,440 Speaker 7: yells out the door. That's not bad news. Shorty is 690 00:35:52,440 --> 00:35:54,320 Speaker 7: what they call me. You know what I mean, Shorty 691 00:35:54,440 --> 00:35:57,120 Speaker 7: do wop because of the music thing. So they say 692 00:35:57,440 --> 00:35:59,600 Speaker 7: that's not a bad call. So I pick up the 693 00:35:59,640 --> 00:36:03,640 Speaker 7: phone and my lawyers say James A. Dennis, and they 694 00:36:03,680 --> 00:36:07,280 Speaker 7: never set you know, my entire name, said James A. Dennis, 695 00:36:07,920 --> 00:36:12,359 Speaker 7: and he said, your innocence has been proven. My two 696 00:36:12,480 --> 00:36:14,600 Speaker 7: lawyers on the phone, Amy and Ryan, who are like 697 00:36:15,160 --> 00:36:17,279 Speaker 7: brothers and sister to me, and they were telling me 698 00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:21,160 Speaker 7: like kept saying it, but I didn't really fully get 699 00:36:21,160 --> 00:36:22,640 Speaker 7: the full magnitude of it. 700 00:36:23,239 --> 00:36:24,560 Speaker 4: And then when I got off. 701 00:36:24,400 --> 00:36:27,680 Speaker 7: The phone, I put my tie up to the window 702 00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:32,640 Speaker 7: and I broke down and cried because for me, everything 703 00:36:32,680 --> 00:36:35,759 Speaker 7: that I went through in prison, I've been waiting for that. 704 00:36:35,920 --> 00:36:38,480 Speaker 7: So when you read the legal opinion and you see 705 00:36:38,480 --> 00:36:41,720 Speaker 7: the first words where say James A. Dennis was wrongly, 706 00:36:41,800 --> 00:36:45,600 Speaker 7: that meant everything to me. That's what I waited for, period. 707 00:36:45,680 --> 00:36:47,359 Speaker 7: And you don't know that you're gonna get that, but 708 00:36:47,400 --> 00:36:50,319 Speaker 7: that's what I waited for my entire life that I 709 00:36:50,400 --> 00:36:53,600 Speaker 7: was incarcerated. So when the second decision come, it's the 710 00:36:53,640 --> 00:36:57,400 Speaker 7: same thing. I put the tie up, I put my 711 00:36:57,440 --> 00:37:00,560 Speaker 7: head into the pillow and I cried. I ain't never 712 00:37:00,640 --> 00:37:03,600 Speaker 7: cried before. I didn't know what was going to happen. 713 00:37:03,880 --> 00:37:06,880 Speaker 7: I'm hoping and praying that they're going to do the 714 00:37:06,960 --> 00:37:10,160 Speaker 7: right thing, and so when it came, it was like, 715 00:37:13,480 --> 00:37:15,680 Speaker 7: you know, and the lawyers came up there and we 716 00:37:15,760 --> 00:37:17,560 Speaker 7: talked and what. 717 00:37:17,480 --> 00:37:18,200 Speaker 4: Does this mean? 718 00:37:18,320 --> 00:37:23,000 Speaker 7: And it's a real emotional roller coaster, where, you know, 719 00:37:23,480 --> 00:37:25,439 Speaker 7: did y'all call my mom, did y'all tell my mom? 720 00:37:25,480 --> 00:37:27,320 Speaker 4: Did y'all tell my daughters? Did you you know what 721 00:37:27,360 --> 00:37:27,640 Speaker 4: I mean? 722 00:37:28,280 --> 00:37:31,080 Speaker 7: Do all these people know what just happened? So it's 723 00:37:31,120 --> 00:37:32,960 Speaker 7: an emotional roller coaster. 724 00:37:33,040 --> 00:37:34,480 Speaker 4: It's the best way I can explain it. 725 00:37:34,520 --> 00:37:37,359 Speaker 1: I don't think anyone can possibly begin to understand that 726 00:37:37,360 --> 00:37:40,239 Speaker 1: that hasn't been through it. And let's talk about the 727 00:37:40,320 --> 00:37:41,120 Speaker 1: day you got out. 728 00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:47,880 Speaker 7: May thirteenth, twenty seventeen. I was released from Sei Green Prison. 729 00:37:48,719 --> 00:37:54,640 Speaker 7: Korby was there, My lawyers were there, A cool guy by. 730 00:37:54,480 --> 00:37:57,520 Speaker 4: The name of Dan was there, and they were waiting 731 00:37:57,719 --> 00:37:59,920 Speaker 4: outside for me in a van, you know. 732 00:38:00,200 --> 00:38:03,480 Speaker 7: But my lawyer of Ryan came in to get me 733 00:38:04,280 --> 00:38:07,520 Speaker 7: and give me a suit, and I hadn't had on 734 00:38:07,560 --> 00:38:12,160 Speaker 7: a suit and twenty five years, you know, since I've 735 00:38:12,160 --> 00:38:12,759 Speaker 7: been to church. 736 00:38:13,040 --> 00:38:15,000 Speaker 4: Oddly enough, the last night that I. 737 00:38:15,080 --> 00:38:18,880 Speaker 7: Was home, I was in church. She and I went 738 00:38:18,920 --> 00:38:21,920 Speaker 7: to church and did not get arrested that morning. So 739 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:24,040 Speaker 7: it had been a long time since I put on 740 00:38:24,080 --> 00:38:25,280 Speaker 7: a suit. 741 00:38:25,920 --> 00:38:28,719 Speaker 4: So I put on this suit this time, and we 742 00:38:28,800 --> 00:38:29,319 Speaker 4: walk out. 743 00:38:29,719 --> 00:38:32,960 Speaker 7: There's hugs, things like that, and then we get on 744 00:38:33,040 --> 00:38:36,720 Speaker 7: this van and then we're going and everything seems surreal, 745 00:38:36,800 --> 00:38:40,040 Speaker 7: and I start making phone calls to my mom, to 746 00:38:40,080 --> 00:38:44,840 Speaker 7: my daughters, to my supporters, you know, thanking everybody. And 747 00:38:44,880 --> 00:38:47,280 Speaker 7: I'm on my way to Philadelphia. And we're playing Boys 748 00:38:47,280 --> 00:38:50,359 Speaker 7: the Men. We're playing Meek Mills, We're playing Elton John 749 00:38:50,400 --> 00:38:55,120 Speaker 7: Philadelphia Freedom. Where we're doing, you know as we come 750 00:38:55,120 --> 00:38:58,520 Speaker 7: into city, you know, we're playing pay La Belle, were playing. 751 00:38:58,600 --> 00:38:59,720 Speaker 4: You know, all my favorites. 752 00:39:00,040 --> 00:39:03,839 Speaker 7: We're on the highway, you know, driving John Coletrane, you know, 753 00:39:04,280 --> 00:39:06,360 Speaker 7: the boss in the East Street band is up in 754 00:39:06,400 --> 00:39:08,840 Speaker 7: there where we're just grooving down the highway. 755 00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:10,959 Speaker 4: Me I'm sitting there. 756 00:39:11,280 --> 00:39:14,360 Speaker 7: There's a lot of laughter going back and forth, and 757 00:39:14,440 --> 00:39:15,880 Speaker 7: I'm in the moment. 758 00:39:15,920 --> 00:39:16,919 Speaker 4: I don't know what to eat. 759 00:39:16,960 --> 00:39:20,080 Speaker 7: When we get to a rest stop, I can tell 760 00:39:20,080 --> 00:39:22,640 Speaker 7: you that my first meal was like some French fries 761 00:39:22,680 --> 00:39:25,920 Speaker 7: with some onions on it and a milkshake with some 762 00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:26,960 Speaker 7: sunflower seeds. 763 00:39:27,040 --> 00:39:30,040 Speaker 4: I ain't know what to eat. I didn't know, you 764 00:39:30,080 --> 00:39:30,600 Speaker 4: know what I mean. 765 00:39:30,640 --> 00:39:34,319 Speaker 7: I had never seen a convenience store where McDonald's and 766 00:39:34,440 --> 00:39:37,480 Speaker 7: a gas station all that was in one now, you know, 767 00:39:38,080 --> 00:39:42,080 Speaker 7: stuff like that. So when we get to Philadelphia, after 768 00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:44,520 Speaker 7: we get down the highway, you know, my mom and 769 00:39:44,640 --> 00:39:48,160 Speaker 7: daughters are at the hotel and we have this there's 770 00:39:48,200 --> 00:39:51,360 Speaker 7: this moment with me and my mom's it's a beautiful 771 00:39:51,400 --> 00:39:54,560 Speaker 7: moment where we just sit there and we just hold 772 00:39:54,600 --> 00:39:59,200 Speaker 7: their hands and you know that it's emotional, you know. 773 00:39:59,360 --> 00:40:01,600 Speaker 4: And and now I'm. 774 00:40:01,400 --> 00:40:06,000 Speaker 1: Back home, and how did you meet your beautiful wife 775 00:40:06,080 --> 00:40:08,120 Speaker 1: who I've just recently met myself. 776 00:40:07,840 --> 00:40:12,600 Speaker 7: Right, she's my childhood's sweetheart. We actually met at Girls 777 00:40:12,760 --> 00:40:16,920 Speaker 7: High High School in Philadelphia and we were singing on 778 00:40:17,480 --> 00:40:21,040 Speaker 7: the District sixth Festival choir. And back then she was 779 00:40:21,040 --> 00:40:26,640 Speaker 7: an alto, I was a soprano, and we had met 780 00:40:26,680 --> 00:40:29,880 Speaker 7: on a choir at eleven and twelve years old. 781 00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:32,719 Speaker 1: But there was twenty five and a half year gap 782 00:40:32,760 --> 00:40:34,680 Speaker 1: in there. Yeah, this work. 783 00:40:34,960 --> 00:40:37,880 Speaker 7: So there was a petition that was started by my 784 00:40:37,960 --> 00:40:41,840 Speaker 7: supporters to save my life on change doc org. So 785 00:40:42,880 --> 00:40:46,400 Speaker 7: my supporters would send me in the mail the actual 786 00:40:46,440 --> 00:40:47,200 Speaker 7: petition to. 787 00:40:47,160 --> 00:40:48,280 Speaker 4: See how it was growing. 788 00:40:49,200 --> 00:40:52,400 Speaker 7: And I was going through the names and then they 789 00:40:52,440 --> 00:40:55,040 Speaker 7: were in like alphabetic order, and then when it got 790 00:40:55,120 --> 00:40:57,760 Speaker 7: to c I seen Corby. 791 00:40:57,680 --> 00:40:59,520 Speaker 4: And it was like, oh, whoa. 792 00:40:59,840 --> 00:41:04,600 Speaker 7: You know, it's like that moment when you're like okay, okay, 793 00:41:04,640 --> 00:41:07,440 Speaker 7: that's my childhood sweetheart, right, you know what I mean, 794 00:41:07,480 --> 00:41:11,960 Speaker 7: and you're like okay. So then I had asked my 795 00:41:12,400 --> 00:41:16,440 Speaker 7: sister Hope to ask her, you know, did she believe 796 00:41:16,480 --> 00:41:19,319 Speaker 7: in my innocence? And my sister Hope asked her and 797 00:41:19,360 --> 00:41:23,680 Speaker 7: she said yeah. And it was like, okay, good cause 798 00:41:23,680 --> 00:41:26,960 Speaker 7: you looking for a silver line and for anybody to 799 00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:29,120 Speaker 7: believe in you, but for anybody to know the truth. 800 00:41:29,160 --> 00:41:32,879 Speaker 7: You want everybody, every single person that ever cared about you, 801 00:41:33,360 --> 00:41:35,680 Speaker 7: to know the truth about the situation. And did she 802 00:41:35,760 --> 00:41:38,080 Speaker 7: read about it? And you know, and how did she 803 00:41:39,040 --> 00:41:40,120 Speaker 7: find me? Basically? 804 00:41:40,200 --> 00:41:40,759 Speaker 4: You know what I mean? 805 00:41:40,800 --> 00:41:43,480 Speaker 7: Because I basically like it's almost like I fell off 806 00:41:43,520 --> 00:41:45,840 Speaker 7: the face of the earth for so many years and 807 00:41:45,880 --> 00:41:48,319 Speaker 7: we didn't have any contact. So when I seen her 808 00:41:48,400 --> 00:41:52,560 Speaker 7: name on the petition, I was like blown away. So 809 00:41:53,040 --> 00:41:58,359 Speaker 7: I eventually call home and my mother says, somebody's here, 810 00:41:59,320 --> 00:42:01,840 Speaker 7: and I says, and she don't tell me. It's like 811 00:42:01,880 --> 00:42:05,759 Speaker 7: a little game. Then she gets on the phone and 812 00:42:06,280 --> 00:42:08,880 Speaker 7: we start talking. I'm still not thinking nothing of it. 813 00:42:08,920 --> 00:42:09,480 Speaker 4: I don't want to. 814 00:42:09,880 --> 00:42:11,680 Speaker 7: Maybe she just came to see my mother and check 815 00:42:11,719 --> 00:42:15,319 Speaker 7: on me, you know. But the next Sunday I call, 816 00:42:15,560 --> 00:42:18,800 Speaker 7: she's there again and again, and so then you start 817 00:42:18,840 --> 00:42:23,200 Speaker 7: to feel like, okay, maybe, and then eventually she wanted 818 00:42:23,239 --> 00:42:23,840 Speaker 7: to come see me. 819 00:42:23,920 --> 00:42:25,840 Speaker 4: But I had shut down. 820 00:42:26,239 --> 00:42:29,680 Speaker 7: I was on some I'd stopped having visits for a 821 00:42:29,760 --> 00:42:33,600 Speaker 7: number of years, For over at least eight years or so, 822 00:42:33,719 --> 00:42:36,719 Speaker 7: I stopped having visits. I stopped going the yard, the 823 00:42:36,719 --> 00:42:39,680 Speaker 7: library I built the library, and my cell the lawyers 824 00:42:39,719 --> 00:42:41,680 Speaker 7: that sent me books, and all I was doing was 825 00:42:42,320 --> 00:42:44,960 Speaker 7: getting up every day studying, working on the Justice Jimmy 826 00:42:45,000 --> 00:42:48,279 Speaker 7: campaign because I was already suffering from the panic and 827 00:42:48,400 --> 00:42:52,360 Speaker 7: anxiety attacks and didn't know that I had the PTSD. Anyway, 828 00:42:53,080 --> 00:42:56,960 Speaker 7: she came five years prior to me being released, before 829 00:42:57,040 --> 00:43:00,480 Speaker 7: any of the good stuff started to happen, And it 830 00:43:00,600 --> 00:43:03,960 Speaker 7: just seemed like when she came, all the good stuff 831 00:43:03,960 --> 00:43:06,680 Speaker 7: started happening again, you know what I mean. You got 832 00:43:06,680 --> 00:43:09,879 Speaker 7: the legal decision after that, you know, the one from 833 00:43:09,920 --> 00:43:13,200 Speaker 7: the honorable judging it to Brody, and she insisted on 834 00:43:13,280 --> 00:43:16,520 Speaker 7: coming to see me, and it just went from there. 835 00:43:17,600 --> 00:43:19,439 Speaker 4: Yeah, it just went from there. 836 00:43:20,040 --> 00:43:20,479 Speaker 1: It did. 837 00:43:20,880 --> 00:43:22,360 Speaker 4: Yeah, you are got lucky? 838 00:43:22,640 --> 00:43:26,919 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, you did? You know you're a remarkable guy. 839 00:43:27,120 --> 00:43:34,280 Speaker 1: I mean, I'm always just totally in awe of people 840 00:43:34,440 --> 00:43:37,120 Speaker 1: like yourself, who I get the privilege of being around 841 00:43:37,280 --> 00:43:40,080 Speaker 1: on a very frequent basis. It's almost a daily basis. 842 00:43:40,120 --> 00:43:44,920 Speaker 1: Actually having dinner tonight with John Huffington, who was on 843 00:43:45,200 --> 00:43:49,280 Speaker 1: death row for thirty two years in Maryland. And wow, 844 00:43:49,760 --> 00:43:52,200 Speaker 1: you know, I was with Damien Echles this weekend and 845 00:43:52,680 --> 00:43:56,760 Speaker 1: a man story of course. You know, there's so many 846 00:43:57,040 --> 00:44:00,879 Speaker 1: incredible human beings and one more or so then the next. 847 00:44:00,920 --> 00:44:04,440 Speaker 1: And I'm always like, every time I meet somebody like you, 848 00:44:04,840 --> 00:44:06,759 Speaker 1: I always feel like I've heard everything there is to hear. 849 00:44:06,760 --> 00:44:08,359 Speaker 1: And I hear a story like yours, and I'm like, 850 00:44:09,040 --> 00:44:14,120 Speaker 1: my head's just exploding again. But I have to ask, 851 00:44:14,160 --> 00:44:14,720 Speaker 1: are you bitter? 852 00:44:16,560 --> 00:44:18,200 Speaker 4: I guess for me as well. 853 00:44:18,239 --> 00:44:20,719 Speaker 7: I want to tell you that nobody comes through the 854 00:44:20,719 --> 00:44:22,359 Speaker 7: prison system unscathed. 855 00:44:23,200 --> 00:44:26,920 Speaker 4: For me, I'm in therapy. I go to therapy every week. 856 00:44:28,120 --> 00:44:33,360 Speaker 7: I suffer from post traumatic stress disorder, panic and anxiety attacks. 857 00:44:34,400 --> 00:44:37,960 Speaker 7: My life was destroyed for something I didn't do, and 858 00:44:39,040 --> 00:44:43,640 Speaker 7: it's something that when I hear sirens, I just shook up, 859 00:44:44,000 --> 00:44:47,440 Speaker 7: you know, I literally don't go nowhere. 860 00:44:48,160 --> 00:44:52,160 Speaker 4: You know, me coming here was a thing, you know. 861 00:44:52,200 --> 00:44:55,360 Speaker 4: It took a lot of courage for me just to 862 00:44:55,400 --> 00:44:55,959 Speaker 4: come here. 863 00:44:56,080 --> 00:44:59,160 Speaker 7: So there's a lot of bitterness inside of me. To 864 00:44:59,200 --> 00:45:03,359 Speaker 7: say that there's no would be lying. I'm hurt by 865 00:45:03,440 --> 00:45:06,600 Speaker 7: what has happened to me, you know, and I'm hurt 866 00:45:06,680 --> 00:45:09,880 Speaker 7: that is still happening to other people, like I know, 867 00:45:10,080 --> 00:45:13,719 Speaker 7: other innocent men and women that are in prison. What 868 00:45:13,880 --> 00:45:16,439 Speaker 7: I try to do with that bitterness and that hurt 869 00:45:16,520 --> 00:45:19,840 Speaker 7: that I feel, I try to channel it and to 870 00:45:20,200 --> 00:45:25,480 Speaker 7: doing productive things like my music or champion other people causes, 871 00:45:25,600 --> 00:45:29,399 Speaker 7: like Ralph Stokes, who's an innocent man in prison at 872 00:45:29,520 --> 00:45:33,759 Speaker 7: s CI Green, Willie Vessi who's locked up, who had 873 00:45:33,800 --> 00:45:37,200 Speaker 7: the same police detectives and district attorney and. 874 00:45:37,120 --> 00:45:38,000 Speaker 4: He's locked up. 875 00:45:38,040 --> 00:45:40,360 Speaker 7: And I go to their hearings and try to be 876 00:45:40,480 --> 00:45:43,839 Speaker 7: supportive to their families and stuff like that. And when 877 00:45:43,840 --> 00:45:47,080 Speaker 7: I have an opportunity to speak out, I speak out, 878 00:45:47,320 --> 00:45:47,520 Speaker 7: you know. 879 00:45:48,360 --> 00:45:51,719 Speaker 4: So there's a lot of hurt in me. 880 00:45:52,000 --> 00:45:56,279 Speaker 7: You know, what my daughters went through while I was 881 00:45:56,320 --> 00:45:57,240 Speaker 7: out of their life. 882 00:45:57,280 --> 00:46:02,400 Speaker 4: So yeah, it's yeah. 883 00:46:01,680 --> 00:46:03,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, let's not forget them and all of 884 00:46:03,600 --> 00:46:06,040 Speaker 1: this too, right, I mean to talk about an innocent victim. 885 00:46:06,040 --> 00:46:07,880 Speaker 1: They were baby, well one wasn't even born yet, the 886 00:46:07,880 --> 00:46:09,200 Speaker 1: other one was born. 887 00:46:09,640 --> 00:46:12,719 Speaker 7: And you have to understand the ripple effects of that, 888 00:46:13,600 --> 00:46:16,800 Speaker 7: you know what I mean, the lasting ripple effects of 889 00:46:16,960 --> 00:46:20,880 Speaker 7: not having your father and your life for twenty five. 890 00:46:20,680 --> 00:46:21,800 Speaker 4: Pointy five years. 891 00:46:22,520 --> 00:46:24,840 Speaker 7: You know, when the decision was made to get me 892 00:46:24,960 --> 00:46:28,520 Speaker 7: out and I was on the phone where her you know, 893 00:46:28,600 --> 00:46:30,600 Speaker 7: one of the things that she said to me was 894 00:46:31,040 --> 00:46:36,280 Speaker 7: I used to sit by. 895 00:46:34,200 --> 00:46:35,879 Speaker 4: She said, I used to sit by the door every 896 00:46:35,960 --> 00:46:38,600 Speaker 4: day and look out the window and wait for you 897 00:46:38,640 --> 00:46:39,240 Speaker 4: to come home. 898 00:46:41,040 --> 00:46:45,160 Speaker 7: That's that's something hard to swallow. What she said, Oh, 899 00:46:45,200 --> 00:46:48,839 Speaker 7: I want you to do is to come home and 900 00:46:48,840 --> 00:46:54,680 Speaker 7: have a relationship with your granddaughter. And the ripple effects 901 00:46:54,800 --> 00:46:58,719 Speaker 7: are very lasting on anybody who has been in. 902 00:46:58,680 --> 00:47:01,719 Speaker 4: Prison, none of us us. 903 00:47:00,960 --> 00:47:05,600 Speaker 7: No matter how good it seems everyone is doing. No 904 00:47:05,640 --> 00:47:09,960 Speaker 7: one comes through the system unscathed. Me having nightmares all 905 00:47:10,000 --> 00:47:13,840 Speaker 7: the time, struggling out here in the world. 906 00:47:15,239 --> 00:47:16,399 Speaker 4: It's real. 907 00:47:17,120 --> 00:47:21,400 Speaker 7: It's not easy, you know, because oftentimes when I hear siren, 908 00:47:22,400 --> 00:47:26,360 Speaker 7: I think that they coming back to still my life. 909 00:47:26,480 --> 00:47:29,880 Speaker 7: I made sure that there's a locator on my phone 910 00:47:30,200 --> 00:47:33,480 Speaker 7: at all times where I'm at you know, when I 911 00:47:33,520 --> 00:47:38,400 Speaker 7: first came home, I was literally calling the lawyers, like 912 00:47:38,600 --> 00:47:41,840 Speaker 7: every hour on the hour, calling other people, just so 913 00:47:42,719 --> 00:47:44,680 Speaker 7: my whereabouts are always known. 914 00:47:45,800 --> 00:47:46,560 Speaker 4: It's that deep. 915 00:47:55,840 --> 00:47:59,839 Speaker 1: People that are listening, I'm sure they're thinking, what could 916 00:47:59,840 --> 00:48:02,080 Speaker 1: I do to help right some of these guys that 917 00:48:02,160 --> 00:48:05,880 Speaker 1: you left behind, who are innocent and stuck in the 918 00:48:05,920 --> 00:48:08,880 Speaker 1: situation that you were in. What could they do to 919 00:48:08,920 --> 00:48:13,400 Speaker 1: possibly help you? Do you have any kind of social media? 920 00:48:13,560 --> 00:48:16,080 Speaker 1: Do you do speaking? Do you have a page where 921 00:48:16,080 --> 00:48:20,000 Speaker 1: people could donate to help you with your transition? If 922 00:48:20,040 --> 00:48:22,640 Speaker 1: that's even something that interests you. I don't know. I 923 00:48:22,680 --> 00:48:25,080 Speaker 1: don't want to make any assumptions, but what can people 924 00:48:25,080 --> 00:48:27,400 Speaker 1: do to help either the people that you left behind? 925 00:48:28,440 --> 00:48:29,120 Speaker 1: Let's start with that. 926 00:48:29,360 --> 00:48:33,160 Speaker 7: Ralph Stokes, he has a Facebook page in the website 927 00:48:33,520 --> 00:48:38,240 Speaker 7: Ralphstokes dot org. Get in touch with his supporters there. 928 00:48:38,280 --> 00:48:40,520 Speaker 7: For Willie Vessi, you can look up his case and 929 00:48:40,560 --> 00:48:43,400 Speaker 7: get in touch with his supporters and you could write 930 00:48:43,440 --> 00:48:46,600 Speaker 7: these men they are still in prison, Willie Vessi is 931 00:48:46,640 --> 00:48:49,359 Speaker 7: doing life v A. S. E. 932 00:48:49,560 --> 00:48:51,680 Speaker 4: Y and Ralph Stokes has death. 933 00:48:51,520 --> 00:48:56,600 Speaker 7: At Sei Green And any one of you listening can 934 00:48:56,640 --> 00:49:01,400 Speaker 7: make a difference. You can help by writing them and 935 00:49:01,440 --> 00:49:04,319 Speaker 7: reaching out to them and then just start championing their 936 00:49:04,440 --> 00:49:08,000 Speaker 7: calls like I'm trying to do. Get involved on their 937 00:49:08,040 --> 00:49:11,640 Speaker 7: support team, and you know, help get them some type 938 00:49:11,719 --> 00:49:14,600 Speaker 7: kind of justice, you know what I mean. Because everybody 939 00:49:15,120 --> 00:49:17,480 Speaker 7: can make a difference, even when they think they can't. 940 00:49:17,480 --> 00:49:20,120 Speaker 7: They could use their voice to make a difference through 941 00:49:20,120 --> 00:49:22,120 Speaker 7: social media, through other outlets. 942 00:49:22,480 --> 00:49:25,680 Speaker 1: What about what about you? What do you need? What's 943 00:49:27,120 --> 00:49:27,439 Speaker 1: I don't? 944 00:49:27,800 --> 00:49:31,279 Speaker 7: I don't necessarily I'm not looking for a handout, you 945 00:49:31,320 --> 00:49:33,040 Speaker 7: know what I mean. I don't even want to say 946 00:49:33,080 --> 00:49:35,719 Speaker 7: it that way. Maybe that's wrong enough, you know, to 947 00:49:35,800 --> 00:49:38,840 Speaker 7: say it. But there is a trust fund that my lawyer, 948 00:49:38,880 --> 00:49:43,520 Speaker 7: Amy Row set up Amy Row of Washington, DC, Merland 949 00:49:43,520 --> 00:49:45,760 Speaker 7: and you can look it up on our Facebook page 950 00:49:46,320 --> 00:49:49,319 Speaker 7: where people could donate if they wanted to. But I 951 00:49:49,360 --> 00:49:55,800 Speaker 7: have a social media Instagram, Jimmy Underscore, Dennis Underscore music. 952 00:49:56,440 --> 00:49:59,439 Speaker 7: I just like for people to listen to my song. 953 00:49:59,560 --> 00:50:00,959 Speaker 4: You said, if. 954 00:50:01,239 --> 00:50:03,360 Speaker 7: Give a listen, if you like it, you like it, 955 00:50:03,640 --> 00:50:06,480 Speaker 7: you know, hopefully you'll like it, heat know what I mean. 956 00:50:06,560 --> 00:50:08,880 Speaker 7: And I just really want to be a part of 957 00:50:08,920 --> 00:50:12,319 Speaker 7: the music fraternity, you know, earn my keep that way 958 00:50:12,440 --> 00:50:17,360 Speaker 7: you know, it's always been my dream to be in 959 00:50:17,400 --> 00:50:22,319 Speaker 7: a business since I was a kid. And for me, 960 00:50:22,680 --> 00:50:26,080 Speaker 7: I used to see my musical heroes Gladys Night, Bruce 961 00:50:26,080 --> 00:50:30,319 Speaker 7: Springsteening all on the Grammys, and even when I was 962 00:50:30,360 --> 00:50:33,560 Speaker 7: on death row. That was the one time on death 963 00:50:33,640 --> 00:50:35,960 Speaker 7: row anybody could tell you that you know me. You 964 00:50:36,040 --> 00:50:39,520 Speaker 7: could not call me. When the Grammys were on, I disappear. 965 00:50:39,920 --> 00:50:42,680 Speaker 7: I would put on my headphones and I would watch 966 00:50:42,719 --> 00:50:45,040 Speaker 7: the Grammys, and I was in New Yorker LA all 967 00:50:45,080 --> 00:50:47,840 Speaker 7: the time. I would not respond to anybody. I was 968 00:50:47,920 --> 00:50:51,440 Speaker 7: there watching, you know, and rooting and chairing everybody on. 969 00:50:51,600 --> 00:50:54,560 Speaker 1: What's your favorite song to sing? Oh? 970 00:50:54,840 --> 00:50:57,360 Speaker 7: I don't necessarily have a favorite song to sing. I 971 00:50:57,480 --> 00:51:00,520 Speaker 7: just like, you know, whatever comes to my heart, you know. 972 00:51:00,719 --> 00:51:02,239 Speaker 1: Or what's your What do you want to sing right now? 973 00:51:02,239 --> 00:51:03,200 Speaker 1: You want to sing something right now? 974 00:51:03,640 --> 00:51:03,839 Speaker 8: Yeah? 975 00:51:04,200 --> 00:51:08,640 Speaker 1: The first time, Ibody, I'll say, you said, I say, 976 00:51:08,760 --> 00:51:11,319 Speaker 1: you said, If you don't mind, do it? 977 00:51:11,400 --> 00:51:20,960 Speaker 8: Okay, okay, Bull Through the Hurricane, went through, Firing, Ring, 978 00:51:21,360 --> 00:51:29,520 Speaker 8: Fel Doll, Last Pain, Crazy, the Endsane for you, Woo. 979 00:51:30,640 --> 00:51:33,920 Speaker 4: For you, Woo. 980 00:51:34,440 --> 00:51:38,919 Speaker 8: Nothing Never Rider Bounce always there too, we found never 981 00:51:39,080 --> 00:51:40,399 Speaker 8: once let ship down. 982 00:51:40,719 --> 00:51:42,640 Speaker 1: I was there for. 983 00:51:42,719 --> 00:51:45,279 Speaker 8: You woo. 984 00:51:46,640 --> 00:51:50,759 Speaker 4: For you woo whoo? Who you said. 985 00:51:50,920 --> 00:51:51,759 Speaker 9: You love me? 986 00:51:53,880 --> 00:51:54,040 Speaker 1: Oh? 987 00:51:55,400 --> 00:52:09,719 Speaker 9: True, you said love? You said. 988 00:52:15,080 --> 00:52:16,880 Speaker 4: You said you love me. 989 00:52:18,719 --> 00:52:23,920 Speaker 9: I'll be there for you. 990 00:52:23,960 --> 00:52:24,120 Speaker 1: There. 991 00:52:24,800 --> 00:52:27,640 Speaker 4: What's it's just Jimmy Dennis dot net. 992 00:52:27,880 --> 00:52:31,440 Speaker 7: You could find a single you said, you said what 993 00:52:31,680 --> 00:52:33,120 Speaker 7: you and then the word said? 994 00:52:33,280 --> 00:52:33,600 Speaker 4: Okay? 995 00:52:33,640 --> 00:52:36,920 Speaker 1: Last question? So what would you tell people? Because everyone 996 00:52:36,960 --> 00:52:39,959 Speaker 1: that's listening right now someday is going to get a jury. 997 00:52:39,960 --> 00:52:44,840 Speaker 1: Do you notice and you went through a really crazy 998 00:52:44,840 --> 00:52:47,839 Speaker 1: situation people sleeping through a death penalty case. I mean, 999 00:52:49,440 --> 00:52:52,319 Speaker 1: the word disrespect doesn't even come to mind. I mean, 1000 00:52:52,360 --> 00:52:57,640 Speaker 1: that's not strong enough. It's it's reprehensible, it's it's fucking terrible. 1001 00:52:57,680 --> 00:53:01,320 Speaker 1: But that's beside the point. What would you tell people 1002 00:53:01,680 --> 00:53:04,520 Speaker 1: they get called to jerry duty and they end up 1003 00:53:04,560 --> 00:53:07,959 Speaker 1: on a criminal trial. What advice could you give people? 1004 00:53:08,040 --> 00:53:09,799 Speaker 1: People listening saying I don't ever want to make a 1005 00:53:09,800 --> 00:53:11,560 Speaker 1: mistake like that. I don't ever want to send an 1006 00:53:11,560 --> 00:53:14,200 Speaker 1: innocent man to jail. What would they look out for? 1007 00:53:14,320 --> 00:53:16,080 Speaker 1: What would be the tips that you could give them? 1008 00:53:16,280 --> 00:53:18,239 Speaker 4: The first thing you shouldn't do is worry about making 1009 00:53:18,239 --> 00:53:19,959 Speaker 4: a mistake. You should go in. 1010 00:53:19,880 --> 00:53:22,600 Speaker 7: There and it has to be like twelve angry men 1011 00:53:22,719 --> 00:53:26,439 Speaker 7: in that room. If you take jury duty, somebody has 1012 00:53:26,480 --> 00:53:28,600 Speaker 7: to be Jack Lemon or Henry Fonda. 1013 00:53:29,120 --> 00:53:29,319 Speaker 4: Right. 1014 00:53:29,960 --> 00:53:33,759 Speaker 7: You have to pay attention to every single thing going on. 1015 00:53:34,560 --> 00:53:38,600 Speaker 7: Don't be biased, sit back and pay close attention to 1016 00:53:38,640 --> 00:53:41,480 Speaker 7: the evidence and weigh it. 1017 00:53:41,480 --> 00:53:45,200 Speaker 4: It is a. 1018 00:53:43,920 --> 00:53:48,520 Speaker 7: Large responsibility for anybody to take on jury duty, and 1019 00:53:48,600 --> 00:53:51,720 Speaker 7: you should want to because you could be the reason 1020 00:53:51,760 --> 00:53:54,920 Speaker 7: that somebody doesn't get real roaded like me, and that 1021 00:53:55,000 --> 00:53:58,240 Speaker 7: an innocent man a woman comes home. We don't need 1022 00:53:58,320 --> 00:54:04,279 Speaker 7: more Jimmy Dinnis, Damien Echos, William Diez, Jeff Dislicks. 1023 00:54:03,760 --> 00:54:05,880 Speaker 4: And the man the knocks and so on and so forth. 1024 00:54:06,440 --> 00:54:09,560 Speaker 7: We have to stop it somewhere, and by you sitting 1025 00:54:09,560 --> 00:54:13,640 Speaker 7: on the jury, paying attention to all the evidence and 1026 00:54:13,680 --> 00:54:16,800 Speaker 7: then weighing it properly, you can be the one voice 1027 00:54:17,280 --> 00:54:20,600 Speaker 7: that says this doesn't make any sense, or pay attention 1028 00:54:20,680 --> 00:54:23,680 Speaker 7: to this facts and not the theatrics of it all 1029 00:54:24,280 --> 00:54:26,960 Speaker 7: that the other side is trying to do. Because that's 1030 00:54:27,000 --> 00:54:32,120 Speaker 7: what happened here. A lot of theatrics from the parties 1031 00:54:32,160 --> 00:54:35,440 Speaker 7: that big, the DA and the police, a lot of 1032 00:54:35,520 --> 00:54:40,760 Speaker 7: theatrics and lies. And there was no way that anybody 1033 00:54:40,840 --> 00:54:43,680 Speaker 7: sat on that jury and shouldn't have been paying attention 1034 00:54:43,719 --> 00:54:46,520 Speaker 7: to the facts. You have to pay attention to the facts. 1035 00:54:46,520 --> 00:54:47,360 Speaker 7: Facts matters. 1036 00:54:48,200 --> 00:54:50,560 Speaker 1: That's good advice and I'm sure it's going to help 1037 00:54:50,600 --> 00:54:54,840 Speaker 1: people as they go into that situation, which is a 1038 00:54:54,840 --> 00:54:57,920 Speaker 1: difficult situation for anybody. I think, you know, being in 1039 00:54:57,960 --> 00:55:01,960 Speaker 1: the courtroom and it's uncomfortable, it can take a long time, 1040 00:55:02,040 --> 00:55:04,520 Speaker 1: but it's a responsibility we all have to each other. 1041 00:55:05,280 --> 00:55:07,200 Speaker 1: I mean, because this could really happen to anybody, and 1042 00:55:07,239 --> 00:55:10,280 Speaker 1: you're living proof, you're just a regular person. So okay, 1043 00:55:10,760 --> 00:55:14,320 Speaker 1: then I guess the last part now is just anybody 1044 00:55:14,360 --> 00:55:16,560 Speaker 1: that you want to think that maybe we haven't thought 1045 00:55:16,560 --> 00:55:20,440 Speaker 1: about already, and then any closing words that you have. 1046 00:55:20,560 --> 00:55:23,040 Speaker 1: This is a tradition that we have on wrongful conviction. 1047 00:55:24,239 --> 00:55:27,600 Speaker 1: At the end of the episode, I get to just 1048 00:55:27,640 --> 00:55:29,640 Speaker 1: sit and listen, which is what I like to do. 1049 00:55:30,360 --> 00:55:34,120 Speaker 1: And first I want to thank you, Jimmy. Very courageous 1050 00:55:34,120 --> 00:55:36,040 Speaker 1: of you to come up here and know it wasn't 1051 00:55:36,080 --> 00:55:39,520 Speaker 1: easy and to share your thoughts and your experience with 1052 00:55:39,600 --> 00:55:42,120 Speaker 1: the audience, So thank you so much for being here. 1053 00:55:42,200 --> 00:55:46,200 Speaker 1: I'm looking forward. I'm looking forward to maintaining a friendship 1054 00:55:46,239 --> 00:55:48,520 Speaker 1: and I have some ideas you know you were talking 1055 00:55:48,560 --> 00:55:51,720 Speaker 1: before about how comfortable the bed is at the Western 1056 00:55:51,719 --> 00:55:54,400 Speaker 1: in New York. Well, wrongful conviction is going to get 1057 00:55:54,440 --> 00:56:00,719 Speaker 1: you that bed so you'll sleep good, you know, all 1058 00:56:00,760 --> 00:56:04,399 Speaker 1: asleep listening to your own show. Anyway, so we got 1059 00:56:04,440 --> 00:56:07,120 Speaker 1: that cover. But anyway, so now, like I said, I 1060 00:56:07,160 --> 00:56:09,839 Speaker 1: get to I get to shut down my microphone and 1061 00:56:09,920 --> 00:56:13,920 Speaker 1: just put my headphones, kick back and listen. So it's 1062 00:56:13,960 --> 00:56:14,440 Speaker 1: all up to you. 1063 00:56:14,880 --> 00:56:18,279 Speaker 7: I want to first thank you Jason for having me. 1064 00:56:18,360 --> 00:56:21,640 Speaker 7: You encountered means the world to me. Your hospitality is 1065 00:56:21,680 --> 00:56:24,759 Speaker 7: greatly appreciated. I just want to commend you for the 1066 00:56:24,800 --> 00:56:27,279 Speaker 7: work you're doing in the innocence community. It takes a 1067 00:56:27,280 --> 00:56:30,319 Speaker 7: lot of courage to do what you do. I want 1068 00:56:30,360 --> 00:56:33,600 Speaker 7: to thank Jennifer Thompson. She's been one of my biggest 1069 00:56:33,600 --> 00:56:36,560 Speaker 7: supporters and she's a hero of mine. I call her 1070 00:56:36,640 --> 00:56:38,839 Speaker 7: my SHEI ro you know what I mean. She's been 1071 00:56:38,880 --> 00:56:42,920 Speaker 7: there for me from day one, champion my calls. I 1072 00:56:43,120 --> 00:56:46,239 Speaker 7: like to thank all my supporters you know around the 1073 00:56:46,280 --> 00:56:49,680 Speaker 7: country that been there for me when I was in 1074 00:56:49,680 --> 00:56:51,760 Speaker 7: prison and since I came home. 1075 00:56:52,880 --> 00:56:55,560 Speaker 4: Jeff, Melanie, Uh. 1076 00:56:56,160 --> 00:56:59,759 Speaker 7: Kathy and Ron and everybody. I want to thank my 1077 00:56:59,760 --> 00:57:04,279 Speaker 7: friend my friends have been an instrumental support for me. 1078 00:57:04,400 --> 00:57:07,160 Speaker 7: You know, when you get get out, you need support. 1079 00:57:07,360 --> 00:57:09,000 Speaker 4: You know, your family, your friends. 1080 00:57:09,080 --> 00:57:13,480 Speaker 7: I just want to thank my friends and my wife Corby, 1081 00:57:13,640 --> 00:57:17,960 Speaker 7: and my friend Kasein Quade Ski and that due all 1082 00:57:18,040 --> 00:57:26,200 Speaker 7: for supporting me Arnold Imported Law Firm, Amy Ryan, Rebecca, Meghan, Melanie, 1083 00:57:26,320 --> 00:57:30,520 Speaker 7: Kitty B and James. They did a wonderful job and 1084 00:57:30,600 --> 00:57:32,600 Speaker 7: it's because of them that I'm sitting here there like 1085 00:57:32,680 --> 00:57:34,720 Speaker 7: family to me and I love them daily. 1086 00:57:35,240 --> 00:57:36,360 Speaker 4: And I just want to tell. 1087 00:57:36,240 --> 00:57:41,560 Speaker 7: People listening that if you do your due diligence and 1088 00:57:41,600 --> 00:57:43,760 Speaker 7: you read a case and you want to get involved, 1089 00:57:44,360 --> 00:57:46,120 Speaker 7: don't be scared to get involved. 1090 00:57:46,160 --> 00:57:47,840 Speaker 4: Reach out to that person in prison. 1091 00:57:48,480 --> 00:57:51,560 Speaker 7: Become their supporter and become their champion, become their voice, 1092 00:57:51,840 --> 00:57:54,080 Speaker 7: because a lot of people in prison have no voice. 1093 00:57:54,520 --> 00:57:56,040 Speaker 4: And to everybody on death. 1094 00:57:55,880 --> 00:57:58,800 Speaker 7: Road, to every man and woman in prison, never give 1095 00:57:58,920 --> 00:58:00,840 Speaker 7: up and never give up on you dream, no matter 1096 00:58:00,880 --> 00:58:04,440 Speaker 7: what your dreams are. For everybody in the innocent community, 1097 00:58:04,480 --> 00:58:06,280 Speaker 7: I don't care if you wanted to be a fisherman 1098 00:58:07,120 --> 00:58:10,520 Speaker 7: or a carpenter, go for it and don't give up. 1099 00:58:10,800 --> 00:58:12,640 Speaker 4: Never give up, never ever give up. 1100 00:58:13,360 --> 00:58:18,680 Speaker 1: This has been an extraordinary episode of Wrongful Conviction with 1101 00:58:18,960 --> 00:58:23,120 Speaker 1: death Row EXONERI, Jimmy Dennis, Jimmy, thank you, thank you, 1102 00:58:32,360 --> 00:58:34,960 Speaker 1: don't forget to give us a fantastic review. Wherever you 1103 00:58:35,000 --> 00:58:38,680 Speaker 1: get your podcasts, it really helps. And I'm a proud 1104 00:58:38,720 --> 00:58:41,280 Speaker 1: donor to the Innocence Project and I really hope you'll 1105 00:58:41,360 --> 00:58:44,760 Speaker 1: join me in supporting this very important cause and helping 1106 00:58:44,880 --> 00:58:48,800 Speaker 1: to prevent future wrongful convictions. Go to Innocenceproject dot org 1107 00:58:48,960 --> 00:58:51,720 Speaker 1: to learn how to donate and get involved. I'd like 1108 00:58:51,760 --> 00:58:54,720 Speaker 1: to thank our production team, Connor Hall and Kevin Wartis. 1109 00:58:55,080 --> 00:58:57,360 Speaker 1: The music in the show is by three time OSCAR 1110 00:58:57,400 --> 00:59:00,320 Speaker 1: nominated composer Jay Ralph. Be sure to follow hellow us 1111 00:59:00,360 --> 00:59:04,240 Speaker 1: on Instagram at Wrongful Conviction and on Facebook at Wrongful 1112 00:59:04,240 --> 00:59:08,040 Speaker 1: Conviction Podcast. Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flamm is a production 1113 00:59:08,200 --> 00:59:11,760 Speaker 1: of Lava for Good Podcasts and association with Signal Company 1114 00:59:11,840 --> 00:59:14,080 Speaker 1: Number one