CPCS Innocence Program Blog is COMING SOON!
For now, here are some of the program’s success stories:
Raymond Champagne (2020)
Raymond “Ray” Champagne was released in February 2020 and exonerated in July of the same year, after the Commonwealth assented to his motion for a new trial and dismissed the murder indictment against him. He spent 45 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of a murder he did not commit. Decades after his trial, Ray discovered witness statements that had been given to the police that would have demonstrated his innocence. These statements had never been disclosed to him or his defense team. While in prison, Ray devoted decades of service on the board of Prisoners’ Legal Services and volunteered with the Prison Library Project. Ray was one of the founders of the Exoneree Network and served as the Network’s Research & Planning Coordinator. His case is now listed on the National Registry of Exonerations. In October 2020, he and several other Massachusetts exonerees reflected on the human cost of wrongful convictions in this video produced by the New England Innocence Project.
Media Coverage
Darrell Jones (2019)
After 32 years behind bars, Darrell Jones was released and granted a new trial in 2017. The Plymouth District Attorney’s Office did not appeal from the allowance of a new trial, but did insist on proceeding with a re-trial. On June 11, 2019, after just two hours of deliberation, a Plymouth County jury found him not guilty. His case is now listed on the National Registry of Exonerations.
Media Coverage
- Imprisoned For 32 Years, Darrell Jones Is Now Out On Bail (WBUR)
- After 32 Years, Mass. Man Is Released From Jail For A Murder He Says He Didn’t Commit (WGBH)
- Darrell Jones Found Not Guilty in Murder Retrial (WGBH)
- Commentary: After 32 Years in Prison, Darrell Jones’ “Not Guilty” Retrial Verdict Was Long Overdue (WBUR)
- Beyond Reasonable Doubts: Darrell Jones’ Story of Exoneration (WBUR City Space)
Frederick Clay (2017)
After 38 years in prison for a murder he did not commit, Frederick Clay was released and exonerated. His case is now listed on the National Registry of Exonerations. To hear more about his story of wrongful conviction, imprisonment and exoneration, you can listen to Episode One of the Mass Exoneration Podcast. WGBH reporter Christopher Burrell also produced a two-part story following Mr. Clay’s first year of freedom, and you can listen to part one and part two here.
Media Coverage
