I am quite cognizant of the pain and the trauma of the victim, and then more pain in realizing that the wrong person was convicted, Brandeis-Roman said. Lauren Reynolds received $600,000 for her settlement - but she said it wasnt about the money. They had stage fright. It was before dawn on Nov. 27, 2001, and Termaine Joseph Hicks was at the wrong place at precisely the wrong time. The day of the incident, detectives viewed surveillance footage which confirmed the assailant was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, which should have excluded Mr. Hicks as a suspect. Slichter said to them, I dont know how you feel about having a woman for a mentor. Vinson and Zungolo remain employed by the department. But, he added: Its unfortunate and sad that it took how long it took for me to clear my name. Shop sales in every category.Uh-oh, overstock: Wayfair put their surplus on sale for up to 50% off. She was badly beaten, so he reached for his cell phone to call 911. Surveillance tape from that night could reconcile her account with Hicks. Rev. Its unfortunate and sad that it took how long it took for me to clear my name.. Hicks case is yet another example of the pervasive problem of police perjury in the criminal legal system. She also extended an apology to the victim, whose name was withheld. 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. One of the bullets barely missed my spine, but youre talking to a guy who ran a couple of marathons while he was incarcerated., A post shared by Tyron McClendon (@mrgrinch215). For 19 years, Termaine Joseph Hicks maintained his innocence. Three Philadelphia police officers have been reassigned pending an internal investigation into the arrest of Termaine Joseph Hicks, who was cleared of a 2001 rape last week after spending 19 years in prison. They instead retired or resigned, and some still receive benefits from their federal employment. Everything slowed down, says Hicks. Termaine Hicks was released from SCI Phoenix Prison on Dec. 16, 2020, in Collegeville, Penn. Hicks was released from a state prison outside Philadelphia on Wednesday. The trial judge retired and was replaced by another judge, which really set the ball in motion, explains Hicks. Hicks came from Maryland, Possibly with former slaveowner, White Brown. Website by MADEO. California residents do not sell my data request. Mr. Hicks, an Innocence Project client, was wrongly convicted of a rape that took place in Philadelphia in 2001. He wrote and directed 12 plays in prison. 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. Zungolo, of South Detectives Division, declined an interview and referred questions to John McGrody, vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5. information about the Registry, Assault, Other Violent Felony, Gun Possession or Sale, Perjury or False Accusation, Official Misconduct, Inadequate Legal Defense. His brother and friend greeted him upon release. Wow you are a hero.and a very blessed man. 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. According to the National Registry of Exonerations, 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. It was 2012 by the time Hicks withdrew his appellate rights, which meant he would have another 13 years to serve. Group showed footage of fatal Breonna Taylor raid at restaurant event, dine BLM co-founders cousin dies after police repeatedly use Taser, video shows, Bidens marijuana policy may change attitudes toward immigrants. Twenty-seven judges had looked at my case by then, explains Hicks. Slichter invited the Rt. I liked interacting with all of it. Please avoid sharing any personal information in the comments below and join us in making this a hate-speech free and safe space for everyone. It was dark, and she suffered a head trauma during the assault. He was exonerated after 19 years. Making it easier for Black people to vote had unexpected consequences, Latinos who use Spanish-language social media get more misinformation, How public colleges have already backed away from affirmative action. Exculpatory post-conviction evidence was shared with the Philadelphia Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU), which, under District Attorney Larry Krasner and Patricia Cummings, moved to vacate Mr. Hicks conviction yesterday based on the officers false trial testimony. READ MORE: Police shot a Philly man, then accused him of rape. The city has settled civil-rights complaints naming Vinson and Ellis as defendants. That matched other witness statements that the attacker wore a gray hoodie, while Hicks coat had no hood. WebOn 03/15/2022 HICKS filed a Civil Right - Other Civil Right court case against CITY OF PHILADELPHIA in U.S. District Courts. Termaine Hicks was released from SCI Phoenix on Dec. 16 after 19 years in prison. If he needs access to an editor, publisher, or manager. TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA A federal grand jury has returned a twenty-one count indictment against Andrew Demetric Gillum, 42, and Sharon Janet Lettman-Hicks, 53, both of Tallahassee, Florida. The indictment was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. Is Wakanda Forever too woke for Marvels own good? 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. When Black Marxist Angela Davis found out her ancestors owned slaves. The Philadelphia police did not immediately return a request for comment on the case, but Anthony Erace, the executive director of the Police Advisory Commission, told the Inquirer he would seek a review of the investigation. The woman had A neighbor who witnessed the woman being dragged by the assailant from the sidewalk to the alley and called police in real-time, reported that the attacker was wearing a gray hoodie covering his head. The Innocence Project recruited high-profile forensic pathologist Michael Baden to determine the direction from which the bullets were fired at Hicks. A spokesperson for the District Attorneys Office declined to comment on whether it would pursue action against the officers. Termaine Hicks was released from SCI Phoenix Prison Tuesday, Dec.16, 2020 in Collegeville, Penn. His attorney Amelia Green said the evidence supporting Hollmans innocence which garnered media attention first in the form of a 2017 report in The Inquirer and, in April, an episode of the Netflix series The Innocence Files put pressure on city officials to resolve the case swiftly, though neither they nor police admit any wrongdoing as part of the settlement deal. A jury later convicted Hicks of rape, and a judge sentenced him to up to 25 years in prison. A police spokesperson said the DA provided details on the allegations only after Hicks case was resolved. (Image: Jason E. Miczek/AP Images for the Innocence Project). During his time in prison he joined the Education for Ministry (EfM) program, wrote plays, and later formed S.T.E.P.U.P. Joint Stipulation of Mr. Hicks and the Commonwealth. Returning & Becoming: Kanuga Christian Formation, Episcopal Parish Network 38th Annual Conference, African American Readings of St. Paul with Dr. Lisa Bowens, Life Together Fellow, Church of Our Saviour, Milton, MA, Graduate Resident Youth or Childrens Minister. (Philadelphia, PA December 17, 2020) Termaine Hicks walked out of Pennsylvania prison SCI Phoenix yesterday. The world now knows what Hicks did and did not do. An officerwho along with his complicit partner is still currently on the forcefirst shot Hicks three times while he was pulling out a cell phone to call for help for the rape victim. He was exonerated after the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office conceded that lead police I was replacing my beloved EfM predecessor, Dennis Warner, who had died recently of a brain tumor in the prime of his life. Watsons role in the case was not clear, and he was not called to testify. When you look more broadly at the other officers involved in this case, there is a larger pattern of official misconduct, Potkin said. You cant be in this box when it comes to God and religion, he says. As the case slowly made its way through the courts, she said she couldnt sleep through the night. Hicks served 19 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. The men told me how much they loved Dennis.. Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Tracy Brandeis-Roman vacated the conviction and offered a bittersweet congratulations to Hicks. Most of these kids had made a single mistake, he says, often as the result of bullying, and their entire lives were disrupted. The spokesperson declined to confirm the identity of the third officer under investigation. His brothers Tone Hicks (left) and Tyron McClendon were there to greet him upon release. The presumption of innocence., Demographic changes: How the racial makeup of where you live has changed since 1990, Newsletter: Subscribe to About US to read the latest on race and identity, George Floyds America: Examining systemic racism through the lens of his life, Resources: Understanding racism and inequality in America. It was hard to maintain sanity.. He was exonerated in 2020. This article was published more than2 years ago. Dennis Zungolo, who testified he saw Hicks pulling up his pants when police arrived, were both placed on restricted duty, the spokesperson confirmed. All Rights Reserved. Now, under the scrutiny of a new investigation, the case against Hicks has fallen apart. Hicks says, In the judicial system, theres something called finality that is very hard to overcome.. He thought about those younger and younger inmates, and knew he needed to get his message to young people before their first encounters with the judicial system. Photo: Peter Tobia. William Campbell, S.J. Many will have a tale of transformation to share. In prison, I had to coax some of those guys up there. after a wrongful incarceration for 19 years. The Inquirer reported that Hickss lawyer, Vanessa Potkin, said the gun was covered with blood, but the coat pocket, where Vinson claimed Hicks had been keeping the gun, was clean. As he was reaching for his cellphone to dial 911, the police suddenly arrived, shot him in the back and charged him unjustly. 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. Listen: Stories about Black men spending years and even decades behind bars for crimes they didnt. 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. He was convicted and served 19 years in State Correctional Institution Phoenix, about an hour northwest of Philadelphia. During that time, in the fall of 2008, Hicks joined the EfM group. Hicks has a powerful testimony against corruption in policing and the judicial system, but his heart is formed by mercy as much as the call to justice. They have told me that the trauma of a retrial would be unbearable, she said. Then I was invited to EfM by an usher in the church. I survived, he says, and I understood the gravity of the situation right away. Officer Martin Vinson claimed to have witnessed Hicks raping the victim. The Innocence Project is affiliated with Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University. In 2015, Mr. Hicks came up for parole, but because he continued to assert his innocence he was denied, and not considered again. The Philadelphia District Attorneys Offices Conviction Integrity Unit sided with Hicks and his lawyers, and Common Pleas Court Judge Tracy Brandeis-Roman vacated his conviction on Wednesday. Those cases have led to more than a dozen exonerations in recent years and have cost the city more than $35 million since 2018. 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. 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