Every year, innocent people are locked away for crimes they didn’t commit—often based on faulty evidence, coerced confessions, or systemic bias. Some spend decades behind bars, losing their families, futures, and freedom, all while fighting for the truth to be heard. This list tells the stories of 20 such people—men and women who endured the unthinkable and finally walked free. Their cases are more than just legal failures—they’re personal tragedies and reminders of a system that must change.
1. Anthony Ray Hinton: 30 Years on Death Row for a Crime He Didn’t See
Anthony Ray Hinton spent nearly three decades on Alabama’s death row for two 1985 murders he didn’t commit. Despite having solid alibis and evidence showing the bullets didn’t match his gun, poor legal defense and systemic racism sealed his fate. His conviction relied entirely on flawed ballistics analysis presented by an underqualified expert.
In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously overturned his conviction. Hinton walked free after 30 years, having lost everything—his youth, his mother, and countless opportunities. Today, he speaks out against wrongful convictions and advocates for justice reform. His story is a powerful reminder of how easily the innocent can be buried alive by a flawed system.
2. Richard Phillips: A 46-Year Nightmare in Michigan
Richard Phillips holds the tragic distinction of spending the longest known time behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit—46 years. In 1972, he was convicted of murder based on false testimony. No physical evidence ever linked him to the crime, but he was sentenced to life without parole.
His exoneration came in 2018 after a witness finally admitted he had lied. Phillips was 72 years old when he was freed, having spent most of his life behind bars. To cope with his trauma, he turned to painting and even sold his art to support himself. Phillips’ case underscores the devastating effects of wrongful convictions and the urgent need for independent conviction review units.
3. Henry McCollum and Leon Brown: Brothers Betrayed by the System
In 1983, teenage brothers Henry McCollum and Leon Brown were coerced into confessing to the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in North Carolina. Both had intellectual disabilities, making them especially vulnerable to manipulation during intense police interrogations. Their confessions were riddled with inaccuracies and inconsistencies.
They spent more than 30 years in prison—McCollum on death row and Brown in solitary confinement. In 2014, DNA evidence pointed to another man already serving time for a similar crime. Their release marked a heartbreaking victory. Today, they fight for criminal justice reform while rebuilding the lives that were unjustly stolen from them.
4. Joyce Ann Brown: Framed by a Lookalike
Joyce Ann Brown was living an ordinary life when she was suddenly arrested for a 1980 robbery and murder in Dallas. The crime had been committed by a woman using her name—and who happened to look strikingly similar. Despite a lack of physical evidence, Brown was convicted solely on flawed eyewitness testimony and mistaken identity.
She spent nine years in prison before evidence finally proved her innocence. After her release, Brown became a tireless advocate for women in prison and those wrongfully convicted. Her case is a chilling example of how a mistaken identity and hasty prosecution can destroy an innocent life in a matter of moments.
5. Ricky Jackson: 39 Years for a Lie
In 1975, Ricky Jackson was convicted of murder in Cleveland, Ohio, based on the testimony of a 12-year-old boy. There was no physical evidence, and the child later admitted he was coerced by police into lying. But Jackson wouldn’t see freedom for another 39 years.
He was finally exonerated in 2014 when the witness recanted and said he had been pressured to fabricate the story. Jackson walked out a free man at 59, having served the longest wrongful sentence in U.S. history at the time. His forgiveness and resilience in the face of unthinkable injustice are nothing short of inspiring.
6. Thomas Haynesworth: Mistaken Identity Destroyed His Youth
At just 18 years old, Thomas Haynesworth was arrested in 1984 and wrongly convicted of a string of rapes in Virginia. The only evidence was victim identification—despite his lack of a criminal record. He was sentenced to 74 years and spent 27 behind bars, all because he resembled the actual rapist.
Years later, DNA evidence cleared him, and the real perpetrator was identified—someone Haynesworth had even worked alongside in prison. After his release in 2011, he was granted a rare full pardon. Haynesworth’s story highlights the dangerous unreliability of eyewitness testimony and the devastating toll it can take on an innocent life.
7. Juan Rivera: Convicted Despite DNA Proof of Innocence
Juan Rivera was only 19 when he was coerced into confessing to the 1992 rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in Illinois. His confession didn’t match the crime details, and DNA evidence excluded him entirely—but that didn’t stop juries from convicting him three separate times.
After spending nearly 20 years in prison, Rivera was finally exonerated in 2012. His case is one of the most chilling examples of how the justice system can cling to a narrative despite scientific proof to the contrary. Today, Rivera works to help others who, like him, were failed by the system meant to protect them.
8. Michael Morton: Lost His Family and Freedom Over a Lie
Michael Morton’s life unraveled in 1986 when he was convicted of murdering his wife in Texas—a crime he didn’t commit. Prosecutors suppressed evidence pointing to another suspect, including a witness account and a bloody bandana. Morton spent 25 years in prison, all while insisting on his innocence.
DNA testing finally revealed the true killer, a convicted felon who had gone on to murder again. Morton’s exoneration in 2011 triggered a national conversation about prosecutorial misconduct. Since then, he’s worked to ensure others don’t suffer the same fate. His story is not just one of injustice, but also one of strength and reform.
9. Walter “Johnny D.” McMillian: Framed by Corruption
Walter McMillian was a Black businessman in Alabama falsely convicted of murdering a white woman in 1986. Despite having dozens of alibi witnesses placing him miles away at the time of the crime, police fabricated evidence and pressured witnesses into lying. McMillian was sentenced to death.
He spent six years on death row before his case was overturned, thanks to the work of attorney Bryan Stevenson and the Equal Justice Initiative. His ordeal was later dramatized in the film Just Mercy. McMillian never fully recovered from the trauma, and his story remains a powerful indictment of racial injustice in America’s legal system.
10. Dewey Bozella: A Boxer’s Fight for Justice
Dewey Bozella spent 26 years in a New York prison for a 1977 murder he didn’t commit. The case against him was built on questionable testimony from criminals offered deals in exchange. Prosecutors ignored crucial evidence and withheld information that could’ve cleared him.
Bozella never stopped fighting. In 2009, new evidence exonerated him, and he was finally freed. At age 52, he accomplished a lifelong dream—fighting (and winning) his first professional boxing match. His resilience and refusal to confess to a crime he didn’t commit, even when it could have earned him early release, speaks volumes about his strength and character.
11. Gary Tyler: A Teen Sentenced to Die
At just 16 years old, Gary Tyler was sentenced to death in Louisiana for the 1974 murder of a white teenager during school desegregation riots. The all-white jury convicted him despite no physical evidence, a recanted witness statement, and numerous procedural errors. Tyler maintained his innocence throughout.
After 41 years in prison, mounting pressure and new legal agreements finally led to his release in 2016. By then, he was the longest-serving juvenile offender in the country. Tyler emerged with dignity, becoming a prison theater leader and later a criminal justice reform advocate. His case remains a haunting example of racial injustice and youthful vulnerability.
12. Alfred Dewayne Brown: Convicted by Hidden Phone Records
Alfred Dewayne Brown was sentenced to death in Texas for the 2003 killing of a police officer during a robbery. Though there was no physical evidence linking him to the crime, prosecutors pushed for the death penalty while hiding critical phone records that proved his alibi.
In 2015, those phone records were finally uncovered, showing he was at home at the time of the murder. Brown was exonerated and released after over a decade on death row. His story spotlights how prosecutorial misconduct can send an innocent man toward execution—and how fragile justice becomes when truth is buried by ambition.
13. Franky Carrillo: A Teen Set Up by Police Suggestion
Franky Carrillo was 16 when he was accused of a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. Witnesses later admitted they had been coached by law enforcement, identifying him based on suggestion rather than fact. Carrillo was convicted in 1992 and spent 20 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit.
Years later, the witnesses recanted, and Carrillo was exonerated in 2011. His case exposed the dangers of witness misidentification and police misconduct. After his release, he earned a degree from Loyola Marymount University and became an advocate for juvenile justice. Carrillo’s case reminds us that wrongful convictions often begin with a single careless assumption.
14. Ronald Cotton: Forgiven by the Woman Who Identified Him
In 1984, Ronald Cotton was convicted of rape in North Carolina based largely on the victim’s identification. The problem? She picked the wrong man. No physical evidence linked Cotton to the crime, and it wasn’t until DNA testing years later that the real perpetrator was found—already serving time for another rape.
Cotton was released in 1995 after serving 11 years. Instead of harboring anger, he built an unlikely friendship with Jennifer Thompson, the woman whose mistaken identification cost him his freedom. Together, they now speak publicly about wrongful convictions and the flaws of eyewitness testimony. Cotton’s forgiveness continues to inspire many.
15. Clarence Elkins: Cleared by the Victim’s DNA Work
Clarence Elkins was convicted in 1999 for the rape and murder of his mother-in-law and the rape of his young niece—who later recanted and said she had been mistaken. Despite the recantation and lack of physical evidence, Elkins remained in prison for over seven years.
Refusing to give up, Elkins conducted his own investigation from behind bars and identified the actual attacker—a fellow inmate. DNA testing confirmed it, and Elkins was finally exonerated in 2005. His determination and resourcefulness were key to proving his innocence. His story proves that sometimes the path to freedom must be paved by the wrongfully convicted themselves.
16. Kevin Richardson and the Central Park Five: A City’s Injustice
Kevin Richardson was only 14 when he and four other Black and Latino teens were coerced into confessing to the brutal 1989 assault of a jogger in New York’s Central Park. There was no physical evidence, yet public outcry and media hysteria helped convict them.
They became known as the “Central Park Five” and spent between 6 to 13 years in prison before DNA evidence and a confession by the real perpetrator cleared their names in 2002. Richardson and the others were later awarded a settlement, but the emotional scars remain. Their story reflects how fear and racism can cloud the pursuit of truth.
17. Wilbert Jones: Held for 45 Years on Flimsy Testimony
In 1974, Wilbert Jones was arrested in Louisiana for the rape of a nurse based solely on her hesitant identification. No physical evidence tied him to the crime, and the police withheld reports linking another man with a nearly identical criminal pattern.
Jones spent 45 years in prison—making his wrongful incarceration one of the longest in U.S. history. He was finally released in 2017, at the age of 65. The court acknowledged that the prosecution had suppressed key evidence for decades. Jones’ quiet dignity and refusal to give up hope throughout his ordeal offer a sobering lesson on the cost of injustice.
18. Lawrence McKinney: Wrongfully Convicted, Then Charged to Prove Innocence
At 22 years old, Lawrence McKinney was sentenced to 115 years in prison for rape and burglary in Tennessee. He spent 31 years behind bars until DNA testing proved he wasn’t the attacker. But even after exoneration, he faced another battle—proving his innocence to get compensation.
He was released in 2009 but denied a full exoneration until 2017. During those eight years, McKinney survived on a $75 check from the state. His fight revealed how difficult it can be for wrongfully convicted individuals to receive justice even after they’re set free. His perseverance speaks volumes about the courage it takes to reclaim one’s life.
19. Ray Krone: “Snaggletooth Killer” Nickname Nearly Killed Him
Ray Krone was labeled the “Snaggletooth Killer” by Arizona prosecutors after a bite mark on the victim allegedly matched his teeth. Convicted of murder in 1992 despite no other evidence, Krone spent 10 years in prison—two of them on death row—before DNA testing revealed another man was the killer.
Krone became the 100th person in the U.S. exonerated from death row. Since his release, he’s been a vocal critic of the death penalty and faulty forensic science. His case is a haunting example of how junk science and media narratives can shape a wrongful conviction with deadly consequences.
20. Malcolm Alexander: 38 Years for a Crime Without Evidence
Malcolm Alexander was convicted of rape in 1980 based on a single, flawed eyewitness ID. The prosecution’s case was weak, and his defense lawyer—later disbarred—barely mounted any defense. Yet he was sentenced to life in prison in Louisiana, where he remained for 38 years.
It wasn’t until 2018 that DNA evidence finally proved his innocence. During his time behind bars, Alexander found purpose in sculpting, creating powerful works from soap and stone. He left prison with dignity and a renewed passion for art and justice. His case illustrates just how easy it is to be buried by a broken system—and how hard it is to dig your way out.