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Man exonerated after 17 years in prison
It all started in 2007 when Dell Crawford was wrongfully convicted of second-degree murder after discovering the body of Tataneisha Williams inside her home.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - A wrongfully convicted Detroit man was exonerated after 17 years in prison.
Big picture view:
It all started in 2007 when Dell Crawford was wrongfully convicted of second-degree murder after discovering the body of Tataneisha Williams inside her home.
He called 911 and took Williams' children to their grandmother's house. Although there was no physical evidence implicating Crawford, he was convicted based on statements made by a witness. But thanks to Cooley Law School’s Innocence Program and Wayne County’s Conviction Integrity Unit, he is finally a free man.
They were able to get additional DNA testing done to compare the male DNA found on the victim. The lab excluded Crawford as a contributor, further proving his innocence.
"We follow the evidence wherever it leads," said Wayne County Conviction Integrity Unit Director Valerie Newman. "So if we had found any evidence implicating Dell Crawford, it would be included in our analysis. In this case, we found nothing, only DNA that conclusively excluded him."
"It was wonderful to have the judge acknowledge the time that he wrongfully spent in prison and vacate the conviction, and then being able to go over to the facility where he was housed and walk him out was a very surreal experience," said Jessa Webber with the Cooley Innocence Project.
Dig deeper:
FOX 2’s Jamie Sherrod asked Crawford if he ever lost hope during those 17 years in prison.
Sherrod: "Did you ever lose hope?"
Crawford: "Not really, but it takes a long time. It takes a very long time."
Sherrod: "Did you always believe that one day someone would be able to prove that you were an innocent man?"
Crawford: "Yes, I did. I held on to that hope. I don’t harbor hard feelings because I guess they figured they were right. They figured they were in the right, that if someone said I committed a crime, then I must have done it. And that’s their job, so I can’t hold any ill feelings."
What's next:
Crawford was released on Tuesday. This was not an overnight success as it took six years of work on the case to prove his innocence.
Now that he’s free, he says he just wants to be successful in life, help others, and reconnect with his family.
The Team Wellness Center is helping him re-enter society the right way.