Archie Williams spent 36 years in prison for a 1982 rape and assault that he didn't commit, and on Thursday (March 21) he was released after being exonerated.
During the 1983 case, Williams' family testified that he was at home during the time that the incident took place, but the 12 members of the jury found 22-year-old Williams guilty and he was sentenced to life without parole. Last week, new fingerprint technology with a national database showed that the crime was committed by Stephen Forbes. Forbes committed several other rapes around the same time and died in prison in 1996. Williams first requested that his fingerprints be run against the national database in 1999, but it was turned down by prosecutors.
Lawyers with the Innocence Project, a non-profit dedicated to fighting wrongful convictions, worked with Williams on exoneration. Williams, who is now 58, spoke out after being freed, stating, "There wasn’t a day that passed that I didn’t stay focused on gaining my freedom. I always kept a positive mind. I knew one day justice would come." He added that he wants to "soak it all in" and has plans to go to college.
During Williams' hearing, East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore III told him, "This is the right, honest, ethical and now factual thing to do. You are factually innocent, wrongfully convicted, and on behalf of the state, we apologize that you have suffered this."
Louisiana law states that Williams is entitled to a maximum of $250,000 for his wrongful incarceration, roughly $7,000 for each year he was in prison.
Source: NY Times
