Imagine spending more than two decades in prison for a crime you didn’t commit. That's exactly the nightmare that Willie Grimes endured.
In 1987, Grimes was convicted of sexual assault of an elderly woman in Hickory. He was sentenced to life in prison. Grimes served 24 years before he was exonerated in 2012 through the state’s Innocence Inquiry Commission. He’s still supportive of police, with a note of caution for officers rushing to solve a case
"Do the right thing when you’re doing your job. Quit trying to lay something on someone to get that name, or that number off the book," Grimes said.
Grimes received a $3.25 million settlement from the city of Hickory for his wrongful conviction.
Since 1989, there have been 2,124 exonerations in the U.S., according to the National Registry of Exonerations. There have been 59 exonerations in North Carolina; seven in South Carolina. A total of 26 people in the Carolinas have been exonerated of murder.
On Thursday's Charlotte Talks, guest host Sarah Delia speaks with Grimes and Ben Rachlin, the author of a new book about Grimes called “Ghost of an Innocent Man.” She also speaks to Chris Mumma. She heads the North Carolina Actual Innocence Center, and says the high number of exonerations isn’t just because of advances in DNA testing.
