Man freed after 39 years in prison for crime he didn't commit
theGRIO REPORT - Ricky Jackson spent 39 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. It was the longest sentence given for a wrongful conviction in American history...
Ricky Jackson spent 39 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. It was the longest sentence given for a wrongful conviction in American history.
In 1975, Jackson and two friends were sentenced to death after a money-order salesman was shot to death during a robbery. “We were innocent, and they were about to murder us for something we didn’t do,” Jackson said. He was 18 at the time of his conviction.
Although there was no physical evidence linking Jackson and his friends to the crime, there was an eyewitness: a 12-year-old named Edward Vernon.
“They knew that I didn’t see anything,” Vernon said. “Everybody knew it was a lie.” Vernon testified that he had seen Jackson pull the trigger despite being blocks away on a schoolbus during the crime itself.
Vernon wanted to help the police and fingered Jackson because he knew Jackson from his neighborhood. But when Vernon could not pick Jackson out of a lineup, police began to spoon-feed him information.
“For a lot of years I really hated him for what he did to us,” Jackson said. “But I knew I had to do this because I desperately want to move forward with my life and the only way I can do that is to forgive him.”
So when Vernon decided to come out with the tree several weeks ago, Jackson knew he had to meet this man face-to-face.
“It took a lot of courage to do what you did,” Jackson told Vernon as they met inside a church. “Thank you man.”
“I’m sorry,” sobbed Vernon.
“It’s all right brother. We were both victims man. It’s alright. I do forgive you man. I wanted to be here personally to tell you that.”
Vernon was unable to speak through his emotions.
“Wow, how could this man hug and embrace me after all these years?” Vernon said.
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