What we are doing is just reintroducing simple life decision-making, Hicks explains. The Best News Ive Heard in All My Li After realizing theyd shot an unarmed man who did not match the description of the attacker, the officers conspired to cover it up. Hicks was then charged with the rape and later exonerated after the Conviction Integrity Unit found that the case was built on liespossibly to cover up the unjustified shooting and that forensic evidence easily cleared Hicks who should never have been arrested let alone convicted of the rape. He wrote and directed 12 plays in prison. Hicks lawyers alleged that the cover-up went beyond the three officers. after a wrongful incarceration for 19 years. Philadelphia officials said Wednesday that the city will be paying out $9.8 million in one of the largest wrongful-conviction settlements in the citys history to a Black man who spent 28 years in prison for a murder the district attorneys Conviction Integrity Unit now says it was near impossible that he committed. According to the National Registry of Exonerations, police misconduct, like this, has played a role in 35% of wrongful convictions resulting in exonerations since 1989. After the 5th Circuits ruling, does DACA have a future? Both Gillum and Lettman-Hicks were indicted as part of the FBI's long-running investigation into public corruption in Tallahassee. The investigation already netted convictions and federal prison time for former Mayor and City Commissioner Scott Maddox, his longtime aide Paige Carter-Smith and wealthy entrepreneur John "J.T." Burnette. The spokesperson declined to confirm the identity of the third officer under investigation. Mr. The tape showed a man in a gray hoodie dragging the victim into the alley. The day of the incident, detectives viewed surveillance footage which confirmed the assailant was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, which should have excluded Mr. Hicks as a suspect. The footage then shows a delivery van arriving, the flash of its headlights flooding the alley. They instead retired or resigned, and some still receive benefits from their federal employment. According to lawyers, it shows a man in a hoodie dragging the victim into the alley. She assumed the lights were police flashlights, but the enhanced footage suggested the light had instead been the delivery trucks headlights. The world now knows what Hicks did and did not do. He was exonerated after the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office conceded that lead police officers lied under oath to cover up shooting Mr. Hickswho was innocent of any crimein the back three times. Hicks recruited other prisoners to act in the production. You can learn more about how we consider cases here. Its not the closure I wanted but its still closure., The 15 women suing said officers had sexually assaulted and abused them for years. Website by MADEO. Hicks lawyers allege that the cover-up went well beyond the three officers. Many will have a tale of transformation to share. Termaine Hicks was released from SCI Phoenix Prison Tuesday, Dec.16, 2020 in Collegeville, Penn. also offers motivational speaking and training in schools, teaching positive decision-making, how to recognize bullying, and how to communicate with peers who carry guns, sell drugs, or who drink and drive. Philadelphia police officer Marvin Vinson arrived on the scene with his partner, Sgt. I was already a devoted Christian, reading my Bible daily. For 19 years, Termaine Joseph Hicks maintained his innocence. Falsely claiming under oath that they recovered a gun from Mr. Hicks right jacket pocket, which they asserted he placed back in his pocket after he was shot. For far too long the police have willfully lied with impunity; we need accountability, said Vanessa Potkin, director of post-conviction litigation at the Innocence Project, who represented Mr. Hicks. It was brutal for the guys in the penitentiary. WebOn February 27, 2003, Hicks was sentenced to between 12 and 25 years in prison. For far too long the police have willfully lied with impunity; we need accountability, said Vanessa Potkin, director of post-conviction litigation at the Innocence Project, who represented Mr. Hicks. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. California residents do not sell my data request. There were weeks we never once left our cells. Yale honors Black girl who was reported to police as she sprayed lanternfli Tyre Nichols videos join patchwork of violent police footage. Lauren Reynolds received $600,000 for her settlement - but she said it wasnt about the money. Now, said Innocence Project attorney Vanessa Potkin, He is going to be returned to something that he should have had on Nov. 27, when police encountered him, but he didnt: the presumption of innocence.. Termaine Hicks was convicted on rape and other charges, largely on the testimony of police officers. Hicks was released from a state prison outside Philadelphia on Wednesday. When you have a circumstance where at a minimum misconduct is discovered, and at a maximum potential criminal behavior is possible, its got to be examined.. Police disciplinary records are currently kept confidential in. A police spokesperson said that the district attorney did not provide details on the allegations until after Hicks case was resolved. God saw fit to keep me alive. Six of the eight accused officers admitted to having sexual contact with inmates, according to a July document filed by the United States in response to the complaint. Hicks had been exonerated. There was irrefutable evidence that Chester was innocent, is innocent and has always been innocent and would never have been wrongfully convicted aside from extraordinary police misconduct, Green said. Joe Rojas, the southeast regional vice president for the workers union, AFGE Council of Prisons, said the case was a black eye for an otherwise hardworking and upright staff. Why dont they? WebOn 03/15/2022 HICKS filed a Civil Right - Other Civil Right court case against CITY OF PHILADELPHIA in U.S. District Courts. Now theyve reached a settlement, Pinellas lawyer arrested after stealing more than $840,000 from clients, deputies say, Christopher Sabella elected as Hillsborough Countys next chief judge, Steven Lorenzo sentenced to death for 2 Tampa murders, How about spending more on preventing crime? Like the traveler in the parable of the Good Samaritan, the victim had been left beaten, bloody, and half naked. Its unfortunate and sad that it took how long it took for me to clear my name.. I found what was already there. He created an organization called S.T.E.P.U.P., an acronym for Selfless Thinking Expresses Potential that Uplifts People, and began writing educational scripts that were later turned into films. Most of these kids had made a single mistake, he says, often as the result of bullying, and their entire lives were disrupted. I am quite cognizant of the pain and the trauma of the victim, and then more pain in realizing that the wrong person was convicted, Brandeis-Roman said. Vinson told the court he saw Hicks attacking the woman and saw him reach for a gun. Court records for this case are available from Pennsylvania Eastern District Court. Officer Martin Vinson, who testified that he fired because Hicks was reaching for a gun and lunging toward him, and his then-partner Sgt. The United States has settled a lawsuit with 15 women who said correctional officers at a federal prison in Florida repeatedly sexually abused them. He was exonerated after the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office conceded that lead police I was writing Christian plays, engaged in independent study, and searching Scripture. We welcome new information from any source about exonerations already on our list and about cases not in the Registry that might be exonerations. Wow you are a hero.and a very blessed man. After they covered it up, he was wrongly convicted of attacking her. Both a forensic analysis of Hicks medical records and a review of his clothing with bullet holes in the back, but none in the front supported Hicks account, according to the citys chief medical examiner. He learned a lot about working with people, interpreting the Bible, and communicating faith. Hicks tried to appeal his conviction, court records show, claiming that his former defense attorney had erred by not insisting that police show the enhanced surveillance footage. One of those plays, Soldiers in the Army of the Lord, was performed at Graterford in 2012 in honor of Hickss EfM graduation. PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Three Philadelphia police officers have been reassigned pending an internal investigation into the arrest and shooting of Termaine Hicks, who was cleared of a 2001 rape last week after spending 19 years in prison. Mr. The reversal comes amid a recent flurry of exonerations as the citys district attorney, Larry Krasner, has aggressively pushed to revisit at least 16 questionable convictions. The Philadelphia District Attorneys Offices Conviction Integrity Unit sided with Hicks and his lawyers, and Common Pleas Court Judge Tracy Brandeis-Roman vacated his conviction on Wednesday. On Wednesday afternoon, released from the State Correctional Institution Phoenix to his brothers home just a few miles away in Montgomery County, Hicks said he was both overjoyed and overwhelmed. NBC10s Brian Sheehan has his story. Officer Martin Vinson and Sgt. Termaine Hicks, 47, on West Girard Avenue in West Philadelphia on Dec. 2, 2022. Dennis Zungolo testified against him They claim they found him raping a woman in an alley near a hospital and It was hard to maintain sanity.. The officers involved in this case had extensive internal affairs files with numerous allegations of lying, planting evidence, excessive force, and substantiated complaints filed by civilians. Falsely claiming under oath that Mr. Hicks wore a gray hoodie like that a neighbor described the assailant as wearing. In this case, the new evidence came from Hickss clothing and his own body. after a wrongful incarceration for 19 years. Terms of Use / Privacy Policy / Manage Newsletters, By Associated Press - But, seconds later, police officers arrived, took him for the rapist and shot him three times. The city has settled civil-rights complaints naming Vinson and Ellis as defendants. Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC. When Black Marxist Angela Davis found out her ancestors owned slaves. Heres what that means. Though EfM groups commonly gather in parish buildings, some convene in prisons. Please avoid sharing any personal information in the comments below and join us in making this a hate-speech free and safe space for everyone. Then he pulled out the S.T.E.P.U.P. WebLiked by Brandon Hicks Attention School of Law alumni: On Wednesday, March 1, Liberty Law will be holding a memorial service for Curtis Walton, who was tragically murdered Jason E. Miczek / AP Images for The Innocence Project. It was founded in 2012 in conjunction with the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law. Nightly Films Termaine Hicks speaks out after 19 years in prison for a crime he didnt commit (Part 1) In his first TV interview since his exoneration, Termaine Hicks Termaine Hicks, 47, on West Girard Avenue in West Philadelphia on Dec. 2, 2022. Ellis arrived with his then-partner, Duane Watson who is currently facing perjury charges after his testimony in a narcotics arrest was contradicted by surveillance video. Along the way I found a hidden talent, he says. Prior to our interview, he had just given a talk for the Dutch Consulate at the United Nations in New York City. Hicks fought for years to get the forensic evidence in his case reviewed. But on December 16, 2020, all the news was good. The cover up of shooting an innocent man required the false testimony of three officers and the acquiescence of a dozen more. The chief medical examiner recanted his prior testimony. Hicks case is yet another example of the pervasive problem of police perjury in the criminal legal system. He said he felt the amount given to his clients was fair. Zungolo, of South Detectives Division, declined an interview and referred questions to John McGrody, vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5. As he was reaching for his cellphone to dial 911, the police suddenly arrived, shot him in the back and charged him unjustly. All Rights Reserved. The timing was uncanny. Termaine Hicks (Photo: Jason E. Miczek for AP/Innocence Project), Support The National Registry of Exonerations , The Contribution of Forensic and Expert Evidence to DNA Exoneration Cases, Race and Wrongful Convictions in the United States, 2022, Government Misconduct and Convicting the Innocent, Witness Recantations: Preliminary Findings, May 2013, Exonerations in the United States: 1989 - 2012, Tell us about an Exoneration that we missed, Other Philadelphia, Pennsylvania exonerations. He often speaks for the Innocence Project. Hicks exoneration hinged in part on forensic analysis that cast doubt on his testimony. He was exonerated after the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office conceded that lead police officers lied under oath to cover up shooting Hickswho was innocent of any crimein the back three times. The way that cops approach Black and brown men and women stems from years of systemic racism. It was a chance for me to try to find out how God operates with us. Exculpatory post-conviction evidence was shared with the Philadelphia Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU), which, under District Attorney Larry Krasner and Patricia Cummings, moved to vacate Mr. Hicks conviction yesterday based on the officers false trial testimony. Earlier this month, The Root reported that another Black man, 45-year-old Termaine Hicks was exonerated of rape after spending 19 years in a Philadelphia prison. He purchased land and other AA's settled near him. California residents do not sell my data request. During that time, in the fall of 2008, Hicks joined the EfM group. A reporter at the Inquirer since 2013, I cover issues of identity, race, social justice, as well as prisons and the legal system. WebTermaine Hicks was exonerated in December after the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office conceded that lead police officers lied under oath to cover up shooting Mr. Hickswho was innocent of any crimein the back three times. He served 19 years in prison. This decision comes after an investigation by the Innocence Project and the District Attorneys Conviction Integrity Unit who raised concerns about whether the officers fabricated evidence, planted a gun, and arrested Hicks under false pretenses, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. After realizing theyd shot an unarmed man who did not match the description of the attacker, the officers conspired to cover it up. Hicks was in South Philadelphia on the early morning of November 27, 2001, when he heard a woman screaming. You can learn more about how we consider cases here. Realizing Mr. Hicks did not match the description of the attacker provided by a neighbor to 911 and that he was unarmed, the officers embarked on a cover-up, which included: Based on the officers testimony, Mr. Hicks was convicted of rape, aggravated assault, possessing an instrument of crime, and terroristic threats. (Image: Jason E. Miczek/AP Images for the Innocence Project). When recovered, the firearm was covered in blood belonging to the victim, who was bleeding profusely when the police arrived at the scene. This is my ministry, he says. Im excited for younow go live your life manyou deserve a good one. December can be a busy month for exonerations, as prosecutors and defense attorneys try to wrap up cases before the end of the year. My motto was, Im not going to ask you to do something I would not do. Vinson and then-partner Sgt. McGrody did not return calls Tuesday. The new analysis outlined a case in which ample physical evidence available 19 years ago ought to have been enough to clear Hicks, who was known in court records as Jermaine Weeks. Police Officer Martin Vinson said he shot Hicks in the chest or stomach as Hicks was pulling a gun from his pocket and lunging toward him. In 2003, the Innocence Project had just 15 attorneys and could not take his case. I dont know how you feel about having a white woman. One of the inmates replied, Miss Ginny, everybody needs a mama! For the first couple of years, she was known as Mama Ginny. He said he was meeting with McGrody, who could answer any further questions. As a result of receiving this information, we have opened an Internal Affairs investigation into the allegations of police misconduct, the spokesperson said in an email. Police shot a Philly man, then accused him of rape. A spokesperson for the Philadelphia Police Department had not provided a comment as of Wednesday afternoon. Although most of the evidence analyzed in the recent review of the case was available at the time of Hickss original trial, the jury never saw an enhanced security tape that corroborated parts of Hickss story. (Selfless Thinking Expresses Potential that Uplifts People). In addition to the Innocence Project, Mr. Hicks is represented by local counsel Susan Lin of Kairys, Rudovsky, Messing, Feinberg & Lin LLP. As the Psalmist wrote, God knows our frame and remembers we are made from dust. With that understanding, I am able to move forward. The website is updated daily, frequently with exonerations that occurred in the past. WebHicks Settlement Settled by Tobias Hicks and sons about 1800. It was dark, and she suffered a head trauma during the assault. Potkin notes that several other police officers were at the scene as Hicks was shot or shortly thereafter. Termaine Hicks speaks out after 19 years in prison for a crime he didnt commit (Part 1), At least 2 dead after exposure to unknown substance at N.Y. senior facility, Clark Atlanta University students mourn loss of athlete fatally shot near campus, Iranian government to investigate series of poisonings, Pennsylvania man accused of trying to bring explosive on plane, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle asked to leave Frogmore Cottage. After 19 years in prison, hes been found innocent. 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