Undisclosed Mega-Update Thread 15

Last Friday, Governor Kay Ivey removed Rocky Myers from death row and commuted his death sentence to a life sentence. Then, yesterday, Judge Jennifer Schiffer granted Adnan Syed's petition for a sentence reduction under the Juvenile Restoration Act to time served, meaning that he will remain free. Given this turn of events, I wanted to update the status of all the cases we covered on Undisclosed. And we're not done. For more detailed commentary on some of these cases, check out our recent "Relaunch" episode of Undisclosed. This will be followed by more coverage of the Adnan Syed case in April/May, coverage of all sorts of criminal justice and wrongful conviction news over the summer, and a long-form series on a single wrongful conviction case starting in August.

Top Line Numbers

Total cases covered: 27 cases.

Relief granted: 20 cases: 13 exonerations: (1) Shaurn Thomas; (2) Terrance Lewis; (3) Willie Veasy; (4) Chester Hollman III; (5) Charles Ray Finch; (6) Theophalis Wilson; (7) Jonathan Irons; (8) Dennis Perry; (9) Ronnie Long; (10) Joseph Webster; (11) Darrell Ewing; (12) Joey Watkins; (13) Jeff Titus; 2 stays of execution: (1) Marcellus Williams; and (2) William Montgomery; 1 commutation from death row: Rocky Myers; 2 commutations of sentence: (1) Cyntoia Brown; (2) Adnan Syed. 1 grant of parole: Cyrus Wilson. 1 vacated conviction/Alford plea: Wayne Braddy and Karl Willis.

Currently pending: 5 cases. (1) Pedro Reynoso's CIU petition; (2) Pam Lanier's motion for a new trial; (3) Jamar Huggins's PCR appeal; (4) Greg Lance's DNA/fingerprint testing appeal; and (5) Jason Carroll's DNA testing.

Options being explored: (1) Fred Freeman/Temujin Kensu; (2) John Brookins.

1. Adnan Syed

Adnan Syed was convicted of the 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee (Undisclosed series). On September 19, 2022, Judge Melissa Phinn vacated his conviction after a vacatur hearing and set him free. Subsequently, on October 11, 2022, Baltimore prosecutors dropped all charges against him. Hae Minn Lee's family appealed Judge Phinn's order. In a 2-1 ruling in March 2023, the Appellate Court of Maryland reinstated Adnan's conviction based on insufficient notice to Hae Minn Lee's family of the vacatur hearing. In a 4-3 ruling in August 2024, the Supreme Court of Maryland agreed that there was insufficient notice to Hae Minn Lee's family of the vacatur hearing and remanded the case back down to circuit court. Later, two things happened: (1) Adnan filed for a sentence reduction to time served under Maryland's Juvenile Restoration Act; and (2) Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan Bates moved to withdraw the Motion to Vacate Adnan's convictions. As noted in the intro, yesterday, Judge Jennifer Schiffer granted Adnan Syed's petition for a sentence reduction under the Juvenile Restoration Act to time served, meaning that he will remain free. In our April/May coverage on Undisclosed, we will discuss additional evidence that Adnan was wrongfully convicted and how that might play out in future appeals.

2. Joey Watkins

Joey Watkins was convicted of the 2000 murder of Isaac Dawkins (Undisclosed series). Judge Don W. Thompson of the Superior Court of Walker County granted Joey Watkins's petition for writ of habeas corpus on April 11, 2022, meaning that Joey's conviction for murdering Isaac Dawkins has been tossed. The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld that ruling. Joey has been at the heart of repeated efforts to get Georgia to pass legislation to compensate the wrongfully convicted.

3. Jamar Huggins

The one witness to implicate Jamar Huggins in a home invasion in Conway, South Carolina in 2014 has since recanted and named the actual person who committed the crime (Undisclosed series). The initial claim was that this was "new evidence" allowing for a new trial. But the Circuit Court found this recantation was known and not used by trial counsel. That decision was affirmed by the Court of Appeals of South Carolina. This then led to a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel that was denied in October 2024. Jamar is currently appealing that ruling.

4. Marcellus Williams

Marcellus Williams was convicted of the 1998 murder of Felicia Gayle. Governor Eric Greitens  stayed Marcellus Williams's execution in August 2017 (Undisclosed special episode). He also appointed a Board of Inquiry to review his case. Without that Board ever issuing a report, the Missouri governor lifted the stay of execution in July 2023. In September 2024, despite renewed efforts to save his life, Marcellus was executed.

5. Shaurn Thomas

Shaurn Thomas was convicted of the 1990 murder of Domingo Martinez (Undisclosed series). In March 2017, the Conviction Integrity Unit in Philadelphia threw out Shaurn Thomas's conviction. Philadelphia officials later agreed to pay him $4.15 million.

6. Willie Veasy

Willie Veasy was convicted of the 1992 murder of John Lewis (Undisclosed series). On October 9, 2019, a judge vacated his conviction, and the State later dropped the charges against him due to compelling evidence of his innocence. Willie ultimately settled with the State for $5 million.

7. Terrance Lewis

Terrance Lewis was convicted of the murder of Hulon Bernard Howard in 1996. Judge Barbara McDermott declared Terrance innocent in May 2019, leading to his release from prison (Undisclosed series). On June 30, 2020, it was announced that he had reached a settlement in which the city would pay him $6.25 million. Terrance has since started the Terrance Lewis Foundation, "a non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for wrongfully convicted people who are seeking legal representation."

8. Chester Hollman III

Chester Hollman III was convicted of the 1991 murder of Tae Jung Ho (Undisclosed series). On July 15, 2019, he was released based on a finding that Hollman was innocent, and all charges against him were subsequently dropped on July 30th. Subsequently, on December 30, 2020, a settlement was reached, pursuant to which Chester Hollman III will be awarded $9.8 million for his 28 years of wrongful conviction.

9. Cyntoia Brown

Cyntoia Brown was convicted of the 2004 murder and robbery of Johnny Michael Allen (Undisclosed special episode). Governor Bill Haslam granted Cyntoia Brown clemency, and she was released August 7, 2019.

10. Ronnie Long

Long was convicted of the 1976 rape of Gray Bost (Undisclosed series). In August, 2020, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina entered an order vacating Ronnie Long's convictions for first-degree rape and burglary. In September 2020, he was released from prison. On December 17, 2020 North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper issued a Pardon of Innocence for Ronnie Long, making him eligible for $750,000 in compensation. On May 3, 2021, Long filed a civil action, seeking additional compensation for his decades of wrongful conviction. In January 2024, he settled his action for $25 million.

11. William Montgomery

William Montgomery was convicted of the 1986 murder of  Debra Ogle (Undisclosed special addendum interview). Governor John Kasich commuted William's death sentence to a life without parole sentence in March 2018.

12. Pamela Lanier

Pam Lanier was convicted of the 1997 murder of her husband Dorian (Undisclosed series). Pam's team at Wake Forest has filed motion for a new trial  based on new scientific evidence that Pam's husband died from arsenic poisoning based on ingesting turkey medication rather than being poisoned by her. A hearing that was scheduled for June 27, 2022 was postponed. Thereafter, before the hearing could be held, the judge died in 2024. With a new judge now in place, the hope is that her hearing will be scheduled soon.

13. Dennis Perry

Dennis Perry was convicted of the 1985 murders of Harold and Thelma Swain (Undisclosed series). In April 2020, it was reported that glasses likely left at the crime scene by the killer had hairs that returned a DNA match for alternate suspect Erik Sparre. A hearing on Dennis's motion for extraordinary relief was held on July 13, 2020. The result of that hearing was Dennis Perry being granted a new trial. On July 23, 2020, he was released from prison. Legislators in Georgia the passed legislation that paid the "60-year-old Dennis Perry $1.23 million for the 20 years he spent in state custody." Subsequently, in December 2024, Erik Sparre was arrested for the murders of Harold and Thelma Swain.

14. Charles Ray Finch

Charles Ray Finch was convicted of the 1976 murder of Richard Holloman (Undisclosed special episode). The Fourth Circuit first found that Charles Ray Finch had proven his "actual innocence."  Then, a federal district court granted his habeas petition and set him free in May 2019. Finch recently died in January.

On June 16, 2021, Governor Roy Cooper issued a Pardon of Innocence for Finch.

15. Rocky Myers

Rocky Myers was convicted of murdering Ludie Mae Tucker in 1991 and given a death sentence as a result of judicial override, despite the jury voting 9-3 for a life sentence. As a result, it was difficult to see a path toward exoneration in the courts. That said, a public pressure campaign on Governor Kay Ivey worked, and she removed Rocky from death row and commuted his death sentence to a life sentence last Friday. According to Governor Ivey, "in the case of Ludie Mae Tucker’s murder, I have enough questions about Mr. Myers’ guilt that I cannot move forward with executing him. For example, no murder weapon was found, and no DNA evidence or fingerprints or other physical evidence tied Mr. Myers to the scene of the crime. Although Ms. Tucker knew Mr. Myers and let her attacker inside the house, neither she nor Marie Dutton – the only two eyewitnesses to the crime – ever identified Mr. Myers as the assailant. There is also other circumstantial evidence, but it is riddled with conflicting evidence from seemingly everyone involved.” Now, the question is whether there's a way Rocky can have his conviction reversed and be set free (Undisclosed series).

16. Joseph Webster

Joseph Webster was convicted of the 1998 murder of Leroy Owens (Undisclosed series). Webster was exonerated after a judge agreed with the Davidson County Conviction Review Unit that he was wrongfully convicted, and he was released on November 10, 2020. Based on a GoFundMe fundraiser, Joseph will be able to move into his own apartment.

17. Cyrus Wilson

Cyrus Wilson was convicted of the 1992 murder of Christopher Luckett (Undisclosed special episode). On October 23, 2019, he was granted parole by the Tennessee Board of Parole.

18. Greg Lance

Greg Lance was convicted of the murders of Victor and Alla Kolesnikow in 1998 (Undisclosed series). On December 16, 2022, a Tennessee judge approved DNA testing of crime scene evidence as well as fingerprint testing of a battery found in a flashlight connected to the crime. That testing excluded him as the source of DNA on the pistol used in the murders. This result and evidence implicating an alternate suspect were presented at an evidentiary hearing. Unfortunately, the judge who presided over that hearing denied Greg a new trial. Greg is now appealing this ruling.

19. Pedro Reynoso

Pedro Reynoso was convicted of the 1991 murders of Charles Rivera and Carlos Torres (Undisclosed special episode). Pedor hasn't had any luck yet with the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons or Philadelphia's Conviction Integrity Unit. Recently his case was covered by Jason Flom on his Wrongful Conviction podcast, which might lead to more movement on his case.

20. Theophalis Wilson

Theophalis Wilson was convicted of the 1989 murders of Otis Reynolds, Gavin Anderson, and Kevin Anderson (Undisclosed special episode). On January 21, 2020, a judge declared him innocent of these murders and set him free. Earlier this year, Wilson filed a civil action seeking compensation for his decades of wrongful conviction.

21. Fred Freeman/Temujin Kensu

Fred Freeman/Temujin Kensu was convicted of the murder of Scott Macklem in 1986 (Undisclosed series). His CIU claim was rejected, and his clemency request was denied by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. There are currently multiple efforts on multiple fronts trying to get him released.

22. Jonathan Irons

Jonathan Irons was convicted of a burglary and shooting that occurred at the home of Stanley Stotler in O'Fallon, Missouri back in 1997 (Undisclosed series). On June 30, 2020, the Supreme Court of Missouri refused to hear the State's appeal from Judge Daniel Green's opinion granting Jonathan Irons a new trial. On July 1, 2020, Jonathan was released from prison. The following day, the prosecutor announced that he would not take Jonathan's case back to trial. Jonathan was then released from prison. On March 8, 2021, Irons filed a civil action seeking compensation for his decades of wrongful conviction.

23. John Brookins

John Brookins was convicted of the 1990 murder of Sheila Ginsberg (Undisclosed series). John's attempt to get clemency and postconviction DNA testing have been repeatedly rebuffed. He is currently represented by a law firm that is seeking to get him relief.

24. Jeff Titus

Jeff Titus was convicted of the 1990 murders of Doug Estes and James Bennett in the Fulton State Game Area in Kalamazoo County (Undisclosed series). In 2023, a federal judge signed an order releasing Jeff Titus from prison and granting him a new trial. Subsequently, prosecutors dropped the charges against him. He was then awarded $1.03 million for his tears of wrongful conviction. Thereafter, he filed a $100 million lawsuit against the cold case detectives who withheld material exculpatory evidence against him.

25. Darrell Ewing

Darrell Ewing was convicted of the 2009 murder of J.B. Watson in Detroit, Michigan (Undisclosed series). Ewing was eventually granted a new trial based upon jury misconduct, and the State ran out of appeals for that ruling on March 2, 2021. In March 2024, a Detroit judge dismissed the case against Darrell, although the State is still trying to appeal.

26. Jason Carroll

Jason Carroll was convicted of the July 1988 murder of Sharon Johnson in New Hampshire (Undisclosed series). Multiple pieces of crime scene evidence were found after our reporting, and, last August, the State dropped its opposition to this evidence being tested. That testing could result in Jason becoming the first person exonerated in New Hampshire history.

27. Wayne Braddy and Karl Willis

Karl Willis and Wayne Braddy were convicted of the murder Maurice Purifie on June 15, 1998 in Toledo, Ohio (Undisclosed series). While their latest appeal was pending, the prosecutor offered a deal in which their convictions would be vacated in exchange for Alford pleas. In March, Willis and Braddy accepted this deal and were released.

-CM