Why dont they? He was arraigned while handcuffed to a hospital bed. His brothers Tone Hicks and Tyron McClendon greeted him upon release. IE 11 is not supported. 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. That decision comes after an investigation by the Innocence Project and the District Attorneys Conviction Integrity Unit raised serious questions about whether police had fabricated evidence, planted a gun, and arrested Hicks under false pretenses all to conceal a police shooting of an innocent bystander who had rushed to aid a rape victim. Upon entering prison, Hicks was forced to separate from his son, who was only 5 years old at the time of his sentencing. But that defendant was acquitted at a re-trial when the defense presented evidence that Officer Ellis planted ballistics and falsely attributed guns to the accused that he did not in fact possess.. Everything slowed down, says Hicks. Listen: Stories about Black men spending years and even decades behind bars for crimes they didnt. Hicks served 19 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. But, he added: Its unfortunate and sad that it took how long it took for me to clear my name. Along the way I found a hidden talent, he says. 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. According to the National Registry of Exonerations, police misconduct, like this, has played a role in 35% of wrongful convictions resulting in exonerations since 1989. Termaine Hicks was convicted on rape and other charges, largely on the testimony of police officers. The new analysis outlined a case in which ample physical evidence available 19 years ago ought to have been enough to clear Hicks, who was known in court records as Jermaine Weeks. Thank you for visiting us. Hicks came from Maryland, Possibly with former slaveowner, White Brown. William Campbell, S.J. He learned a lot about working with people, interpreting the Bible, and communicating faith. God saw fit to keep me alive. Mr. Hicks, an Innocence Project client, was wrongly convicted of a rape that took place in Philadelphia in 2001. They have told me that the trauma of a retrial would be unbearable, she said. 2023 Innocence Project. WebTermaine Hicks was exonerated in December after the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office conceded that lead police officers lied under oath to cover up shooting Mr. Hickswho was innocent of any crimein the back three times. 21, 2020. 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. During his wrongful imprisonment, Mr. Hicks said he focused on his mental and spiritual health and used creative writing as an emotional outlet. 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. Hicks had been exonerated. The United States has settled a lawsuit with 15 women who said correctional officers at a federal prison in Florida repeatedly sexually abused them. I was replacing my beloved EfM predecessor, Dennis Warner, who had died recently of a brain tumor in the prime of his life. Yale honors Black girl who was reported to police as she sprayed lanternfli Tyre Nichols videos join patchwork of violent police footage. Hicks recruited other prisoners to act in the production. He said: I tried to get the male to, uh, you know, put his hands where I could see them, and he was reaching for something and I couldnt see it.. It was hard to maintain sanity.. It was in such a group at the State Correctional InstitutionGraterford, a maximum-security prison in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, that EfM group leader Ginny Slichter met Termaine Hicks for the first time. You can learn more about how we consider cases here. Hicks survived, but was charged with the rape and sentenced to 12 to 25 years in prison. At the same time, my thoughts and prayers are with the countless others who are not coming home today or ever because of an impulsive, ill-prepared, and apprehensive cop. The new analysis outlined a case in which ample physical evidence available 19 years ago ought to have been enough to clear Hicks, who was known in court records as Jermaine Weeks. Police Officer Martin Vinson said he shot Hicks in the chest or stomach as Hicks was pulling a gun from his pocket and lunging toward him. The city has settled civil-rights complaints naming Vinson and Ellis as defendants. Until then, he just wants to spend time with his family as a free person. Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude. Joint Stipulation of Mr. Hicks and the Commonwealth. I was writing Christian plays, engaged in independent study, and searching Scripture. Is Wakanda Forever too woke for Marvels own good? The spokesperson declined to confirm the identity of the third officer under investigation. the $9.85 million agreement the city struck in 2018 with Anthony Wright. 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. Dennis Zungolo testified against him They claim they found him raping a woman in an alley near a hospital and He was exonerated after 19 years. Termaine Hicks was released from SCI Phoenix Prison Tuesday, Dec.16, 2020 in Collegeville, Penn. 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. Then, he said he shot Hicks in the chest or stomach. Court records for this case are available from Pennsylvania Eastern District Court. Few will have a story as heart-wrenching as Termaine Hickss. As the Psalmist wrote, God knows our frame and remembers we are made from dust. With that understanding, I am able to move forward. However, the recent assessments by both the chief medical examiner for the City of Philadelphia and an independent medical examiner concluded that Mr. Hicks was shot from behind meaning he wasnt coming toward the officers when he was shot. The man they had just shot did not match the description of the attacker provided by a witness, who saw the assailant dragging the victim into an alley. Termaine Hicks, Shot in the Back by Philad Falsely claiming under oath that Mr. Hicks pulled a gun from his pocket, pointed it and lunged at officers before they shot him. Termaine Hicks, Shot in the Back by Philadelphia Police, Is The conviction was vacated, and the charge dismissed. He has always maintained that he arrived at the scene when he attempted to help the victim, she said. Police disciplinary records are currently kept confidential in. The Philadelphia District Attorneys Conviction Integrity Unit agreed with Hicks and his lawyers, civil-rights attorney Susan Lin, and the Innocence Project, that the case was built on lies possibly to cover up the unjustified shooting that were contradicted by newly analyzed and compelling forensic evidence. The website is updated daily, frequently with exonerations that occurred in the past. I chose life, because my Father God allowed me to live and continue to grow., Candler School of Theology, Emory University, New CDSP Continuing Ed Courses Include Liberation Theology, New Testament Greek, Emory Universitys Candler School of Theology to Launch Hybrid MDiv in Fall 2023, Trinity Church Wall Street Announces Final Round of 2022 Grants, Bringing the Total to $57 Million, Bexley Seabury Hires Hailey McKeefry Delmas as Director of Deacons Formation Collaborative, Seabury Resources for Aging Introduces Common Threads: An Intergenerational Worship Series, Birds of the Air with the Rev. Vinson has not responded to requests for comment and Zungolo referred questions to John McGrody, vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5. False testimony was used, and I believe its impossible to say that did not contribute to the conviction.. When you look more broadly at the other officers involved in this case, there is a larger pattern of official misconduct, Potkin said. He was exonerated after the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office conceded that lead police officers lied under oath to cover up shooting Mr. Hickswho was innocent of any crimein the back three times. Now, under the scrutiny of a new investigation, the case against Hicks has fallen apart. Hicks tried to appeal his conviction, court records show, claiming that his former defense attorney had erred by not insisting that police show the enhanced surveillance footage. Dennis Zungolo, who testified he saw Hicks pulling up his pants when police arrived, were both placed on restricted duty, the spokesperson confirmed. However, the court filings detail the role of Officer Robert Ellis, who testified at trial that he had recovered a .38-caliber Taurus from Hicks right jacket pocket. A jury believed the polices version of events over Hickss story. I cant imagine the hurt in your heart and the million reasons you would have to hate someone but instead you are just happy and thankful. Termaine Hicks, 47, on West Girard Avenue in West Philadelphia on Dec. 2, 2022. McGrody did not return calls Tuesday. The chief medical examiner recanted his prior testimony. She would always say, Ive got some good news and some not-so-good news. The good news was that he still had a chance, and the not-so-good news was another continuance60 days, 90 days, 180 days. Website by MADEO. As he was sentenced, Hicks told the judge: an innocent man cant sit in jail for long. Hicks All Rights Reserved. How Education for Ministry changed Termaine Hicks life Trinity Episcopal Church Call: 304-263-0994 Address: 200 West King St, Martinsburg, WV Online Digital Services Donate Home About Trinity Worship Parish Life News & Events Contact Us Trinity Episcopal Church > Church > How Education for Ministry changed Termaine Hicks life Hicks fought for years to get the forensic evidence in his case reviewed. But the prosecutors who reworked the case now say at least some of the testimony against Hicks was not true. Realizing Mr. Hicks did not match the description of the attacker provided by a neighbor to 911 and that he was unarmed, the officers embarked on a cover-up, which included: Based on the officers testimony, Mr. Hicks was convicted of rape, aggravated assault, possessing an instrument of crime, and terroristic threats. Then the pandemic hit. Then, Hicks lawyers say, Vinson used his police radio to contact dispatch. scripts he had written while incarcerated. Finally home, Mr. Hicks said hes most proud of himself for staying strong and remaining determined to prove his innocence. The men told me how much they loved Dennis.. WebTermaine Hicks was exonerated on December 16, 2020 after 19 years of wrongful incarceration. Philadelphia police shot a man and accused him of rape. Although most of the evidence analyzed in the recent review of the case was available at the time of Hickss original trial, the jury never saw an enhanced security tape that corroborated parts of Hickss story. It was dark, and she suffered a head trauma during the assault. For far too long the police have willfully lied with impunity; we need accountability, said Vanessa Potkin, director of post-conviction litigation at the Innocence Project, who represented Mr. Hicks. The vision is to have these videos in every classroom. He turned S.T.E.P.U.P. Police arriving at the scene completely misread the situation, erroneously assuming Mr. Hicks was the assailant, and shot him three times in the back. WebOn 03/15/2022 HICKS filed a Civil Right - Other Civil Right court case against CITY OF PHILADELPHIA in U.S. District Courts. He was exonerated after the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office conceded that lead police Hicks case is yet another example of the pervasive problem of police perjury in the criminal legal system. A reporter at the Inquirer since 2013, I cover issues of identity, race, social justice, as well as prisons and the legal system. Press "Enter" or click on the arrow to show results. 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. The officers falsely testified at trial that Mr. Hicks had lunged at them while armed with a gun that he pulled from his pocket. Step up to it!. On December 16, 2020, Termaine Hicks received what he calls the best news Ive heard in all my life. Hicks learned that, after 19 years in prison for crimes he did not commit, he was finally going home. Had these records been publicly available, Mr. Hicks may not have had to endure so many years of injustice or been wrongly convicted at all, she said. But on December 16, 2020, all the news was good. Heres what that means. Hicks was released from a state prison outside Philadelphia on Wednesday. Hicks was in South Philadelphia on the early morning of November 27, 2001, when he heard a woman screaming. 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. Vinson, most recently assigned to the Third Police District, has not responded to requests for comment. We may earn a commission from links on this page. The woman had Philadelphia police officer Marvin Vinson arrived on the scene with his partner, Sgt. Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC. Chester Hollman III was 21, with no criminal record and a job as an armored-car driver, when he was pulled over in Center City one night in 1991 and charged with the fatal shooting of a University of Pennsylvania student in a botched street robbery. WebTermaine Hicks is an exoneree and IP client. Why are prominent Los Angeles Latinos saying such racist things? after a wrongful incarceration for 19 years. The cover up of shooting an innocent man required the false testimony of three officers and the acquiescence of a dozen more. As he was reaching for his cellphone to dial 911, the police suddenly arrived, shot him in the back and charged him unjustly. And he was unarmed. The National Registry of Exonerations is a project of the Newkirk Center for Science & Society at University of California Irvine, the University of Michigan Law School and Michigan State University College of Law. 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