UVA Law Innocence Project

08/15/2024

Last week, our client Jemarr Jordan was released from prison after having served over 20 years for a crime he did not commit. He is pictured here with our Directors and former staff attorney, who as a student first spearheaded his case.

Welcome home, Jemarr!

02/03/2023

We are so grateful to the Rotary Club of Newport News for its continued support of our program and our clients! Associate Director Juliet Hatchett and client Gilbert Merritt spoke to the club this morning and accepted its generous financial support.

Rotarians from this club have helped UVAIP clients with employment, housing, and more. They live up to the Rotary Club's mission of providing service, integrity, understanding, goodwill, and peace. Thank you!

11/29/2022

Today is Giving Tuesday! The UVA Law Innocence Project, a team of attorneys and about 75 students, exonerates wrongfully convicted people in Virginia. In the past year, we have exonerated or freed seven wrongfully convicted men. We rely on donations to make this work possible, and we hope you’ll consider contributing to our organization here: http://innocenceprojectuva.org/donate

11/28/2022

Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, and we hope you will consider donating to the Innocence Project at UVA Law! All of the donations we receive help us to exonerate wrongfully convicted Virginians. You can donate here: http://innocenceprojectuva.org/donate

09/26/2022

What an honor to celebrate the wedding of longtime client Eric Weakley this weekend. Earlier this year, Eric was exonerated and compensated for his wrongful conviction. This weekend, Eric and his wife of 13 years, Stephanie, finally had the celebration they had always wanted. Director Jenny Givens and Associate Director Juliet Hatchett were thrilled to be part of it. Congratulations to Eric and Stephanie!

03/02/2022

Nine clients of the Innocence Project at UVA Law have been exonerated or released from custody in the past nine months.

Congratulations to Emerson Stevens, Bobbie Morman, Joey Carter, Eric Weakley, Jervon Tillman, Suge Knight, Gilbert Merritt, Lamont Madison, and Lamar Barnes!

02/18/2022

Lamont Madison was released on parole on February 16, 2022, after serving years in prison for a Virginia Beach robbery he did not commit. Another man who is currently serving time in federal prison for multiple offenses, including murder, confessed to the Virginia Beach robberies on at least three separate occasions, to three different lawyers and to a Newport News Police Detective (who testified on Mr. Madison’s behalf at an evidentiary hearing in June of 2019). One of the victims of the robbery independently identified this other man as his attacker. Courts refused to consider the confessions of this actual perpetrator, though, and Lamont remained in prison for decades.

You can support Lamont by contributing to his Amazon wish list here: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/MLMKTJ0IW0KJ?ref_=wl_share

01/20/2022

Our 2021 newsletter is out!

Check out what we worked on in 2021, learn about changes in our program, and meet some of our wonderful clients here:

Check out this US letter designed by Juhi Des.

01/16/2022

On Friday, our client Jervon Tillman was released after serving approximately eight years in custody for an armed robbery he did not commit.

Jervon received an absolute pardon from Ralph Northam in recognition of his actual innocence. The case was investigated by the Innocence Project at UVA Law, along with the Conviction Integrity Unit headed by Mark Herring.

On his release Jervon was excitedly greeted by his mother and grandmother. Congratulations, Jervon!

01/06/2022

Yesterday, our client Lamar Barnes was released after serving almost 20 years for a murder he did not commit. Ralph Northam granted Lamar an absolute pardon, exonerating him and recognizing his innocence. Lamar is pictured above greeting his family and attorneys upon his release.

Lamar's conviction was based largely on eyewitness testimony. All three eyewitnesses have recanted their testimony; in fact, the primary eyewitness made it his mission to try to exonerate Lamar.

Lamar's conviction was also secured through violations of his constitutional rights.

Attorney General Mark Herring Conviction Integrity Unit investigated this case extensively and agreed that Lamar was innocent. Yesterday's pardon is the result of years of work by multiple parties, all of whom reached the same conclusion.

Welcome home, Lamar! We have set up an Amazon wish list to support Lamar, who has to rebuild his life from scratch, here: https://amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1JO1SAVGUFTP8?ref_=wl_share.

Thank you all for your support! Congratulations, Lamar!

01/04/2022

Today, longtime client Eric Weakley was granted an absolute pardon by Ralph Northam. Eric falsely confessed to a murder he didn't commit after being subjected to coercive police interrogation techniques. He was convicted in 2001 and served nearly 7 years in prison.

Eric's co-defendant, Michael Hash, had his conviction vacated in 2012, after a federal judge found Eric's recantation of his confession to be credible. A third defendant was found not guilty at trial.

With today's exoneration, all of the "Culpeper Three" have been cleared. Eric is pictured with his wife and 3 of his 4 daughters after receiving the news. Congratulations, Eric! We are so thrilled for your future free of this wrongful conviction.