Dear Dianne,
I'm so pleased to share that yesterday evening in Pennsylvania, Anthony Wright walked out of prison a free man after serving 25 years for a crime he did not commit. Anthony is the nation's 344th person exonerated by DNA. It was a joyful day for him and his family, and Anthony was all smiles as he held his granddaughter moments after his release (pictured above).
Three years ago, DNA testing proved the 1991 rape and murder of an elderly woman was committed by another man who had a lengthy criminal record. Despite that, Anthony Wright was forced to wait almost two years after his conviction was vacated and face a second trial to regain his freedom. On Tuesday, after deliberating for less than an hour, a Philadelphia jury returned a verdict of not guilty.
At the original trial, police claimed 20-year-old Anthony Wright offered a full signed confession to the crime after merely 14 minutes in police custody. Anthony testified then, and again last week, that he did not commit the crime and only signed the alleged confession because the police threatened him with bodily harm.
At the retrial this month, it was disclosed that DNA testing of clothing allegedly worn by Anthony when he committed the crime had in fact been worn by the victim, and could not have been found in his home as the police claimed.
Many questions remain about how Philadelphia law enforcement handled Anthony Wright’s original prosecution and why he had to endure a retrial despite overwhelming evidence of his innocence. And although the Philadelphia police department has a policy to record interrogations, this case is a clear call for lawmakers to enact a policy that mandates the recording of felony interrogations statewide.
Nevertheless, we are grateful that after 25 years of wrongful imprisonment, Anthony Wright is now finally free and reunited with his family. We thank our co-counsel Samuel Silver, a Pennsylvania Innocence Project board member, and Rebecca Lacher, both of Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP, for their work on this case.
You can read more about Anthony Wright’s case on our website.
Maddy deLone
Executive Director
P.S. If you'd like to support our work to help free others still wrongfully incarcerated, please consider donating today. Thank you!
Photo: Anthony Wright holds his granddaughter moments after he is released from prison in Philadelphia. Credit: Kevin Monko |
