There were weeks we never once left our cells. A police spokesperson said that the district attorney did not provide details on the allegations until after Hicks He served 19 years in prison. Hicks lawyers argue that was the light that caused the attacker to flee before Hicks, and then police, arrived. Until then, he just wants to spend time with his family as a free person. California residents do not sell my data request. When you look more broadly at the other officers involved in this case, there is a larger pattern of official misconduct, Potkin said. The gun was also registered to an active-duty police officer who had not reported it missing. Lauren Reynolds received $600,000 for her settlement - but she said it wasnt about the money. On Wednesday, after 19 years incarceration, Hicks, 45, was, at last, exonerated. Reached by phone Tuesday, Ellis, a crime-scene-unit officer, declined to comment or to confirm he was under investigation. The basics of personal finance, like How to save for a house. Figure out your next step toward financial freedom. You cant be in this box when it comes to God and religion, he says. She said Hicks had gone to the victim to render aid. EfM gave me the skills, and this is my gift back to the world. Falsely claiming under oath that Mr. Hicks wore a gray hoodie like that a neighbor described the assailant as wearing. Its unfortunate and sad that it took how long it took for me to clear my name.. McGrody did not return calls Tuesday. Tell 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. the $9.85 million agreement the city struck in 2018 with Anthony Wright. Is Wakanda Forever too woke for Marvels own good? He has always maintained that he arrived at the scene when he attempted to help the victim, she said. For 19 years, Termaine Joseph Hicks maintained his innocence. EfM taught me how to open the box, and also how to be diplomatic., He says, EfM was a vessel. Prayer, revival and Jesus Revolution: Is our rotting culture on the verge of something big? Hicks came from Maryland, Possibly with former slaveowner, White Brown. I could have been paralyzed; there are still fragments of that bullet near my spine. My motto was, Im not going to ask you to do something I would not do. He said he felt the amount given to his clients was fair. I liked how it was staggered, year one through four, he says. As the case slowly made its way through the courts, she said she couldnt sleep through the night. According to the Inquirer, Hollmans attorneys said he was targeted by police only because he was a Black man driving a white SUV that matched the description of the one seen fleeing the scene of a shooting that killed Penn student Tae-Jung Ho in August 1991. 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. Ive been saying the same thing since day one. Yet, forensic examiners found no blood inside of Mr. Hicks jacket pocket. Wednesday, December 23, 2020, The Front Page Podcast: Pumping the Brakes, NEW: Its not polite to pretend boys can be girls, SCOTUS takes on Bidens student debt agenda. Someone grabbed her, dragged her into an alley and raped her at gunpoint. A reporter at the Inquirer since 2013, I cover issues of identity, race, social justice, as well as prisons and the legal system. on our list, Other In the early morning hours of November 27, 2001, Mr. Hicks heard the screams of a woman being raped in an alley in South Philadelphia and went to her aid. Dennis Zungolo, who was with him at the scene, did not return phone and email messages Wednesday. 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. 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. Termaine Hicks, Shot in the Back by Philad Falsely claiming under oath that Mr. Hicks pulled a gun from his pocket, pointed it and lunged at officers before they shot him. He had his hand in his pocket because he was going to attempt to call the police when they arrived and shot him in the back. But in recent years, evidence has piled up to suggest that the case presented by police and prosecutors was riddled with errors, the Inquirer reported. Within 30 days of surrendering his appellate rights, Hicks was contacted by the Innocence Project. WebSettlement Agreement. Potkin said further evidence suggests police planted the gun they said they retrieved from his jacket pocket. The men told me how much they loved Dennis.. 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 I do feel that, one case at a time, this system is being improved.. Medical records and damage to the clothes Hicks was wearing that night showed he had actually been shot in the back, contrary to what police claimed, the Inquirer reported. Termaine Hicks was convicted on rape and other charges, largely on the testimony of police officers. I chose life, because my Father God allowed me to live and continue to grow., Candler School of Theology, Emory University, New CDSP Continuing Ed Courses Include Liberation Theology, New Testament Greek, Emory Universitys Candler School of Theology to Launch Hybrid MDiv in Fall 2023, Trinity Church Wall Street Announces Final Round of 2022 Grants, Bringing the Total to $57 Million, Bexley Seabury Hires Hailey McKeefry Delmas as Director of Deacons Formation Collaborative, Seabury Resources for Aging Introduces Common Threads: An Intergenerational Worship Series, Birds of the Air with the Rev. Only after did they realize their mistake Mr. Hicks was not the right person. As he was reaching for his cellphone to dial 911, the police suddenly arrived, shot him in the back and charged him unjustly. Even the most seasoned attorney does not likely get the opportunity to go before them, says Hicks, who was by this time arguing his own case pro se. You can learn more about how we consider cases here. If seated, a Cherokee delegate could make a big difference in Congress, How the racial makeup of where you live has changed since 1990, Subscribe to About US to read the latest on race and identity, Examining systemic racism through the lens of his life, Understanding racism and inequality in America. Bryan Busch, who represented 11 women, and Phil Reizenstein, who represents one woman, said they did not want to comment on the settlement amounts until funds were released. There are no words to express what was taken from me, Hollman said in a statement after the settlement was announced. Pennsylvania is one of 15 states that does not compensate exonerees. Hicks didnt want his grandson to see him in prison. 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. (Image: Jason E. Miczek/AP Images for the Innocence Project). Twenty-seven judges had looked at my case by then, explains Hicks. She also extended an apology to the victim, whose name was withheld. Termaine Hicks was released from SCI Phoenix Prison on Dec. 16, 2020, in Collegeville, Penn. What we are doing is just reintroducing simple life decision-making, Hicks explains. He served 19 years for a wrongful conviction. 2023 Innocence Project. Terms of Use / Privacy Policy / Manage Newsletters, By Associated Press - Mr. Hicks was transported to the hospital in all of his clothing which was preserved and included only a coat, a striped polo shirt, and white t-shirt but no hoodie. Press "Enter" or click on the arrow to show results. The Registry provides detailed information about every known exoneration in the United States since 1989cases in which a person was wrongly convicted of a crime and later cleared of all the charges based on new evidence of innocence. Based on these lies, Mr. Hicks was convicted of rape, aggravated assault, possessing an instrument of crime, and terroristic threats in 2002 and sentenced to up to 25 years in prison. In this case, the new evidence came from Hickss clothing and his own body. scripts he had written while incarcerated. It was brutal for the guys in the penitentiary. Listen: Stories about Black men spending years and even decades behind bars for crimes they didnt. Termaine Hicks was released from SCI Phoenix Prison Tuesday, Dec.16, 2020 in Collegeville, Penn. Dennis Zungolo have been placed on restricted duty and the identity of the third officer has not been released. Hicks says Vinson muttered something like, damn, and then began to cry. It was in such a group at the State Correctional InstitutionGraterford, a maximum-security prison in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, that EfM group leader Ginny Slichter met Termaine Hicks for the first time. 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. But on December 16, 2020, all the news was good. The training also emphasizes the importance of physical fitness and a healthy lifestyle. 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. In fact, it would be eight years before they could look at it. But, seconds later, police officers arrived, took him for the rapist and shot him three times. 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. Though EfM groups commonly gather in parish buildings, some convene in prisons. Watsons role in the case was not clear, and he was not called to testify. Had these records been publicly available, Mr. Hicks may not have had to endure so many years of injustice or been wrongly convicted at all, she said. Potkin also drew parallels to a criminal case, USA v. Mortimer, in which Ellis reported recovering two illegal guns from a suspect during a 1996 traffic stop. Hicks was convicted of rape and weapons offenses, with 20 officers testifying against him. Through all the years of trials and incarceration, Hicks never lost faith. Then a 26-year-old father of one, Mr. Hicks had been But unlike in Wrights case, which was settled on the eve of a civil trial, the agreement in Hollmans case came before he had even filed suit. Registered to an active-duty police officer who had not reported it missing blood inside of Hicks! ; there are no words to express what was taken from me Hollman.: Jason E. Miczek/AP Images for the Innocence Project ) found no inside... 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