OKLAHOMANS, LOCKED UP.. < OBVIOUSLY THEY PICKED THE WRONG PERSON.> FOR CRIMES THEY NEVER COMMITTED. < AND IT REALLY BROKE MY HEART, MORE THAN ANYTHING> OKLAHOMA'S INNOCENT.. NOW FIGHTING TO MAKE SURE IT NEVER HAPPENS TO ANOTHER PERSON. < I MADE IT THROUGH THAT BY THE GRACE OF GOD."> ON A SPECIAL KOCO CHRONICLE, WE'RE TAKING YOU áINSIDEá THE INNOCENCE PROJECT AND INTO THE LIVES TORN APART BY WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS. < I HELD ON TO MY HOPE AND MY FAITH AND I KEPT FIGHTING. > THE EMOTIONAL MEMORIES AND THE QUEST FOR ANSWERS. HOW DOES IT HAPPEN? AND HOW DO WE STOP IT? GOOD EVENING. I'M MAGGIE CARLO. OKLAHOMA HAS THE HIGHEST INCARCERATION RATE IN THE COUNTRY. AND THAT INCLUDES OKLAHOMA'S INNOCENT... THE INNOCENCE PROJECT ESTIMATES THAT 3-5 PERCENT OF OKLAHOMA'S 43,000 INMATES ARE WRONGFULLY CONVICTED. TONIGHT, YOU'LL MEET SIX OKLAHOMANS WHO SPENT "more than" 121 YEARS BEHIND BARS FOR CRIMES THEY DID NOT COMMIT. PEOPLE LIKE JEFF WILLIAMS, WHO STUDIED LAW FOR 17 YEARS IN PRISON TO HELP PROVE HIS INNOCENCE. DENNIS FRITZ, ONE OF THE INNOCENT MEN FROM ADA FEATURED IN A NETFLIX DOCU- SERIES AND MICHELLE MURPHY WHO WAS ACCUSED OF KILLING HER INFANT SON...AND SAYS WHAT SHE FACED BEHIND BARS WILL HAUNT HER FOR YEARS. YOU'RE ALSO GOING TO MEET THE PEOPLE WORKING TO HELP FREE INNOCENT OKLAHOMANS. AND YOU'LL HEAR THE REASONS THEY THINK WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS ARE HAPPENING IN OUR STATE AND WHAT CAN BE DONE TO STOP THEM. WE BEGIN WITH A LOOK THE OKLAHOMA INNOCENCE PROJECT AND THE WORK THEY'RE DOING RIGHT NOW TO FREE INNNOCENT OKLAHOMANS. (((PKG))) OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW ON NORTH HARVEY IS CENTRALLY LOCATED IN OUR GROWING CITY. (Nat Break street car) CLOSE TO COURTHOUSES (nat break) LAW FIRMS (nat break) RESTAURANTS (nat break) AND THE PEAKE (nat break of the Thunder) THE PROSPECTIVE STUDENT BROCHURE ALMOST WRITES ITSELF(nat break) BUT IT'S WHAT'S INSIDE THIS BUILDING ON THE xxTH FLOOR THAT'S GAINING NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION. SOT ANDREA 12:29:25-12:25:28 "We average about 15 requests a month." ANDREA DIGILIO MILLER IS THE LEGAL DIRECTOR FOR "THE OKLAHOMA INNOCENCE PROJECT" AND A CLINICAL ADJUNCT PROFESSOR FOR OCU. SOT ANDREA 13:00:10-13:00:15 "We operate with about an 800-case backlog at any given time." FOUNDED IN 2011, THE OKLAHOMA INNOCENCE PROJECT IS HOUSED...HERE INSIDE THE OCU LAW SCHOOL...AMONG THE CLASSROOMS, LAW LIBRARY AND STUDENTS STUDYING FOR FINALS...WORK TO FREE WRONGFULLY CONVICTED OKLAHOMANS IS HAPPENING EVERY DAY IN WHAT THEY CALL "THE CLINIC." SOT ANDREA DIGILIO MILLER 13:00:51 "We just had a DNA test granted in Tulsa County we are in the process of getting the items that are to be tested transported to OSBI." ON THIS DAY ANDREA GOT WORD OF WHAT COULD BE A BREAK IN A CASE THEY'VE BEEN WORKING FOR ALMOST 9 YEARS. SOT ANDREA 13:01:38-13:01:43This case was actually one of the first cases that came into the clinic back in 2011. 13:01:23-13:01:33 We believe the more modern DNA testing available today will provide more accurate DNA results than was actually used in his trial back in 2005. THE CASE IS A TRIPLE MURDER...AND ANDREA AND THE ATTORNEYS WITH THE OKLAHOMA INNOCENCE PROJECT BELIEVE THE MAN CONVICTED AND SENTENCED IS INNOCENT. SOT ANDREA 13:01:52-13:01:58 "In the process of working on the case, we discovered there were some issues with the DNA testing that was done. REQUESTS FOR HELP COME INTO THE CLINIC VIA PHONE CALLS, EMAILS AND LETTERS. SOMETIMES IT'S A FAMILY MEMBER MAKING THAT INTIAL REQUEST, BUT IN ORDER FOR A CASE TO EVEN BE CONSIDERED, THE INMATE THEMSELVES HAS TO REACH OUT... SOT ANDREA 12:59:31-12:59:41 Requests for help have to come directly from an inmate and it can be something as simple as a one-line letter saying, I need your help. THEN THE INMATE MUST FILL OUT A DETAILED AND LENGTHY QUESTIONAIRRE, SOME 18 PAGES...WHO WAS THEIR DEFENSE ATTORNEY, THE EVIDENCE AGAINST THEM AND WHAT AVENUES THEY THINK MIGHT HELP PROVE THEIR INNOCENCE. SOT ANDREA 13:10:50-13:11:01 "I think that there is a general misconception that everybody who is incarcerated claims they are factually innocent of what they've been incarcerated for, and that is not the case." THE ATTORNEYS REVIEWING THE CASES INCLUDE OCU LAW STUDENTS. JAIME CAMPBELL SAYS WORKING IN THE CLINIC IS MORE THAN A CLASS, IT'S A CALLING. SOT JAIME CAMPBELL/OCU LAW STUDENT 13:25:28-13:25:48 "the innocence project is part of the reason why I decided to come to OCU law for me it's a more than just a law school passion, it's a life long passion it's something that I hope to do after law school I am enrolled to start with the clinic next semester and I can't wait to get my hands in and start working on a case." THE REALITIES OF WORKING IN THE CLINIC MEAN ACCEPTING THAT YOUR WORK WILL LIKELY BE PASSED ON TO FUTUTRE STUDENTS, BECAUSE UNLIKE A 30 MINUTE CRIME SHOW DRAMA, WHEN EVIDENCE IS UNCOVERED POINTING TO AN INMATE'S INNOCENCE IT'S JUST THE BEGINNING... SOT VICKI 13:05:14-13:05:21 "Just because you have the evidence doesn't mean the court is just going to throw open the jail door and let our clients out. The clinic is involved in a murder case that involved the death of a child that has been in litigation for a decade and they're still in federal court with it." RESEARCH, GATHERING WITNESSES, DNA TESTS, REQUESTS FOR HEARINGS ALL TAKE A LOT OF TIME. BUT THE TEAM SEEMS UNDETERRED AND TELL US THEY'RE HOPING 2020 BRINGS FREEDOM FOR AT LEAST ONE OKLAHOMAN... SOT ANDREA 13:05:57-13:06:11 We have probably 10 cases that I would consider are in active litigation right now, and I don't know that any of them are going to see relief even in the next year or so. 13:06:12-13:06:22 We have one or two that we're hopeful might result in exonerations in the next year, but beyond those two, they're all on a long path. IT'S A PATH THAT ANDREA WILL BE ON TOO, ALONG WITH HER STUDENTS. SOT ANDREA 13:16:11-13:16:22 It's challenging. It's different every day. Every case is different. And there are days &#8211; not every day &#8211; but there are days when you feel like you're making a difference TONIGHT WE WANT TO DIG DEEP INTO THIS ISSUE WITH OUR PANEL OF EXPERTS TO HELP US UNDERSTAND A VERY COMPLEX ISSUE. FIRST I WANT TO INTRODUCE VICKI BEHENNA, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE OKLAHOMA INNOCENCE PROJECT. GOOD EVENING. (VB) 11:36-11:38 GOOD EVENING. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. (MC) 11:38-11:40 THEN WE HAVE CLEVELAND COUNTY SHERIFF TODD GIBSON. (TG) 11:40-11:41 GOOD EVENING. (MC) 11:41-11:43 AND REPRESENTATIVE REGINA GOODWIN. (RG) 11:43-11:45 GOOD EVENING. THANK YOU (MC) 12:47-13:13 I THINK THE FIRST THING MOST PEOPLE MIGHT NOT REALIZE IS THERE ARE PEOPLE SERVING TIME IN OKLAHOMA PRISONS FOR CRIMES THEY DID NOT COMMIT. A LOT OF PEOPLE JUST ASSUME THAT EVERYBODY IN JAIL AND PRISON IS GUILTY. EVERY ONE OF THESE STORIES, EVERY ONE OF THESE CASES HAS A HEARTBREAKING STORY AT THE CENTER OF IT. AND WE BEGIN TONIGHT WITH JEFF WILLIAMS' STORY. HE SPENT 17 YEARS BEHIND BARS FOR CRIMES HE DID NOT COMMIT. (((PKG))) SOT JEFFREY 27:45-27:55 The lieutenant says, 'Do you know why you're here?' I said, 'No, ma'am.' She said, 'You just got immediate release, and I have to have you off my compound by 4 o'clock.' JEFF WILLIAMS WAITED 17 YEARS TO HEAR THOSE WORDS. BUT WHEN HE WALKED OUT OF JAIL LATER THAT DAY, THINGS WOULDN'T BE AS EASY AS YOU MIGHT THINK. SOT JEFFREY 35:46-35:49 "It's not that easy. No, it's real difficult." SIMPLE TASKS, LIKE BUYING ITEMS AT A CONVENIENCE STORE WITH HIS LEFTOVER COMMISSARY MONEY. SOT JEFFREY 28:32-28:37 "I'd been in jail for 17 years. I didn't know how to use a debit card." AND JUST HAVING NORMAL CONVERSATIONS. SOT JEFFREY 37:52-37:54 "I don't feel comfortable around people much." HE DOESN'T CARE FOR BIG CROWDS THESE DAYS. HE PREFERS HIS FAMILY, THREE CHILDREN, TWO GIRLS AND A BOY AS HE DESCRIBES THEM, THEY'RE GROWN NOW. SOT JEFFREY 37:39-37:45 "There's a whole lot of things that I missed out on. My kids growing up. I watched them grow up through pictures." JEFF'S JOURNEY BEGAN IN 1997, WHEN HE WAS ARRESTED IN TULSA AND CHARGED WITH CONSPIRACY TO MANUFACTURE AND DISTRIBUTE METHAMPHETAMINE, AS WELL AS A FIREARMS CHARGE. JEFFREY SAYS THE STATE WAS THE ONE MANUFACTURING... MANUFACTURING FACTS AND WITNESSES...AND EVEN THREATENED TO INDICT HIS SISTER IF HE DIDN'T PLEAD GUILTY TO THE CHARGES. SOT JEFFREY 23:52-23:58 I kept telling the attorney that I didn't even know some of these witnesses were against me. 23:58-24:01 And they said it didn't matter &#8211; they've got statements against them. It doesn't matter if you know them or not. SOT JEFFREY 24:21-24:23 "So I gave up and pled guilty." JEFF WAS SENTENCED TO 35 YEARS... HE SAYS HIS SENTENCE WAS LIKE A DEATH...HIS LIFE, JERKED AWAY FROM HIM. HE WAS LEFT WITH ONLY TIME, AND A LOT OF IT. SOT JEFF 23:24-23:32 "You feel pretty much dead. You go all the way to the acceptance part. But I never quit fighting. I had something tied up in court the whole time." JEFF STARTED WORKING IN THE PRISON LAW LIBRARY...STUDYING AND WORKING ON HIS OWN APPEALS. SOT JEFFREY 25:52-22:55 "I studied law for 17 years while I was in prison." IN 2010, AFTER A FEDERAL INVESTIGATION, FOUR OFFICERS INVOLVED IN JEFF'S CASE WERE INDICTED ON CORRUPTION CHARGES. WHEN THAT HAPPENED JEFF FROM PRISON, FILED A MOTION REQUESTING THAT HIS CASE BE REOPENED. IN 2012 HE WAS GRANTED A HEARING. TWO OF THE OFFICERS IN JEFF'S CASE WENT ON TO SERVE PRISON TIME FOR CRIMES RELATED TO CORRUPTION INCUDING FABRICATING EVIDENCE. MEANTIME, JEFF CONTINUED TO WAIT FOR HIS OWN JUSTICE. SOT JEFF 27:15-27:25 "I'd gotten to the point where, well, what's going to happen now? I was real hopeful there at first. But as a year goes by, your hope dwindles." IT TOOK TWO MORE YEARS BEFORE THE CALL CAME. IN 2014 JEFF WAS RELEASED FROM PRISON. (NAT BREAK FROM FRANCISCO NATS VIDEO) JEFF NOW LIVES IN PAUL'S VALLEY. HE'S DATING HIS FORMER GIRLFRIEND AGAIN...THEY STARTED DATING IN 1996 AND MET BACK UP IN 2014 AFTER YEARS OF BEING OUT OF TOUCH WHEN JEFF WAS INCARCERATED. IN ADDITION TO SPENDING TIME WITH HIS THREE CHILDREN, JEFF HAS 10 GRANDCHILDREN AND A BRAND NEW GREAT- GRANDCHILD. HE DOES A LOT OF MECHANIC WORK, BUYS, SELLS AND RESTORES CARS AND WORKS AS A PUMPER... SOT JEFFREY 35:10-35:12 "I check wells, every day, seven days a week." JEFF ALSO SHARES HIS STORY NOW, HOPING TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS. ( i have pic of this) HE SAYS HIS STORY IS ONE OF HOPE, HE WON'T HEAR OF IT BEING TOLD ANY OTHER WAY. SOT JEFF 38:50-38:58 "People think I should be bitter, but I'm not. It's a shame, and it really broke my heart, more than anything." SOT JEFF 38:41-38:46 I'm thankful and blessed. I don't have anything to be complaining about. (MC) 14:35-15:15 "We begin our conversation here with Sheriff Todd Gibson. He's been sheriff since 2017. He began his career with the Warr Acres Police Department in the 1990s before joining the Norman Police Department in 1998. He served in Norman until 2016, retiring from that force as a captain. (TG) 15:15-16:15 Right, and that's a really complex question that leadership in law enforcement across the country is looking at and striving for each and every day. But most importantly, what we talk about when we talk about policing the police is a total community effort. It starts at the top with leadership and the culture that leadership within law enforcement allows to exist and the philosophies by which they carry out service to their communities but we can also leverage technology in other aspects of the criminal justice system. In the last decade we have come lightyears ahead of where we were maybe in the 80s or 90s with policing. Officers have body worn cameras. There are abilities for citizens to hold law enforcement accountable through technology and so policing the police is not a simple thing and it's not a simple answer. It's a community answer. It's something that leadership in law enforcement is working on every day. (VB) 16:16-16:47 I think it has to come with the recognition that mistakes can happen. I know having been in law enforcement and being married to a law enforcement officer, that sometimes law enforcement came become focused on an individual and maybe there might be clues leading elsewhere but the focus gets them at this point. And I think we have to understand that and we have to understand that it's okay to back up in an investigation and consider all the evidence before making a decision on who to prosecute and who is a suspect in that crime. áá(MC) 16:48-17:00 And Representative Goodwin, Jeff's case happens to be out of the Tulsa area. There were a number of police involved in his case and told to serve prison time. How do we police the police? (RG) 17:00 &#8211; 18:36 I just think that it is a challenge and I think we are beginning to look at various ways to do so. The question becomes do we have the heart and the will to do right. Because it starts with the heart of folks just having a love for justice....Certainly a very comprehensive police program that says from the top down, from the mayor down, that we're going to be fully engaged in pursuing justice and that means we want our officers to be safe. We want them to come home. We certainly want our citizens to be safe and alive after an interaction with officers so there are various ways to go about it but I can tell you, as it relates to our body cams, we don't do ourselves any favors when we're at the state house and we're reducing the amount of time that we're going to hold onto the footage. And we need to have those cameras on. NEXT ON KOCO CHRONICLE - < 42:18-42:22 "EVERY BREATH I TAKE, I WISH I COULD GIVE IT TO MY SON." > A MOTHER LOSES IT ALL, ONE CHILD MURDERED, ANOTHER TAKEN AWAY WHILE SHE SAT BEHIND BAR