Innocence Project talks about work freeing the wrongly convicted

TIFFIN --- Heidelberg University students heard from Ohio Innocence Project (OIP) representatives about their work in freeing the wrongly convicted. The Innocence Project is a nonprofit organization that works to exonerate innocent individuals who have been unjustly imprisoned. Pierce Reed, director of Policy and Engagement for the (OIP), discussed how anyone can be wrongfully convicted. Many are incarcerated and some may never get the assistance they need to get out or prove their innocence. Former inmate Richard Horton was wrongfully convicted of robbery during a home invasion in Columbus. He took the time to share his experience with students and the Heidelberg community. According to Horton, the home invasion occurred in 2004. During the incident, two people were injured, with one having been shot in the leg. In 2006, Horton was sentenced to 23 years in prison based on false accusations. Thanks to the work of OIP, and new DNA analysis technology, Horton was freed 16 years later. "I got locked up in 2006, (OPI) took my case in 2015 and they began to look at my situation. Having the Ohio Innocence Project agreed to start looking into my case was kind of a huge lift-off (myself) and it lifted me up," Horton expressed. "Because the reputation of the Innocence Project in the prison system is they will not take your case unless they know they can win. So, it was kind of only a matter of time. It's like you, you see the momentum and it starts to build. "Sometimes I question myself and was like, "He didn't do it, you know this," Janette, Richards's wife said. "We thought when his trial began that he was coming home because he didn't do it, it was hard." She expressed the devastating impact it had on her and the effects that a wrongful conviction can have on, not only the individual who is incarcerated but also their loved ones. "We were just married for eight months, when he went to prison, Janette stressed. "We were both in our twenties and now we are in our forties." According to the Ohio Innocence Project website, they have helped free 240 innocent people from prison.