Innocent Man Spent 17 Years In Prison For A Crime Committed By His Lookalike

October 25, 2018

As reported by the Innocent Project, mistaken eyewitness identifications contributed to around 70% of the more than 350 wrong convictions in the United States, overturned by post-conviction DNA evidence. It is the leading factor in wrongful convictions.

In fact, people can end up being in prison for a crime that was committed by another person, who looks similar. That’s exactly what happened to Richard Jones back in 1999. He spent 17 years in prison but was released after the real criminal was found.

Even though Richard Jones had an alibi, he was still sentenced for 19 years. Of course, he tried to appeal but lost. After some time, he got an information about the Midwest Innocence Project and the team that investigates and litigates various cases.

Now, the man is looking for compensation and has already filed a petition asking the state to pay him $1.1 million.

His petition reads:

After enduring 17 years of wrongful incarceration for a crime he did not commit, Mr. Jones brings this petition seeking a judicial pronouncement of his innocence and some measure of financial assistance as he seeks to rebuild his life.

Some people think that his financial expectations are too low.

Richard Jones is 41 now, and he plans to spend as much time with his family as possible. He gets plenty of support from his relatives. By the way, one of his daughters is only 17 now, and she has never seen her dad before.