April Video Update – Big, Big News!

Jackie — April 21, 2011 @ 10:00 AM — Comments (7)

In this report, Executive Director Seth Miller describes the day that Derrick Williams was exonerated – April 4th – and the events leading up to this “joyous, powerful and once-in-a-lifetime” occasion. Seth also provides an update on the progress of the Witness Identification Reform Act in the Florida Legislature.

Video Summary
Derrick Williams was exonerated on April 4, 2011 after an emotional roller coaster ride and 18 years of wrongful incarceration. Two weeks after Derrick’s two-day evidentiary hearing, we received the court order vacating his convictions. Read the order here. At this point, the State Attorney’s Office had three choices: they could drop the charges allowing Derrick to go free, or they could retry Derrick, or appeal the ruling. Surprisingly they filed a notice to appeal the ruling, which would have kept Derrick in prison for an additional six to 12 months while the appeal was being decided. Read our blog post about this unprecedented decision here.

However, on Monday, April 4th, we received a phone call from the prosecutor indicating they had changed their minds and were withdrawing the appeal and dropping the all charges. Exuberantly, IPF staff drove 300+ miles to Hardee Correctional Institute and walked Derrick out of prison into the arms of his family.  Derrick became the 13th Florida DNA exoneree and the 268th person in the nation to be exonerated by postconviction DNA testing.

In the video, Seth also discusses the progress of the Witness Identification Reform Act (SB 1206 and HB 821) in the Florida Legislature. HB 821 has been dramatically, and sadly, watered down. Stay tuned for continued action alerts about this important legislation.

exoneration,Innocence Project of Florida,legislation,post-conviction, Derrick Williams, exoneration, eyewitness misidentification, Florida, Innocence Project of Florida, James Bain, legislation, wrongful incarceration

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 April 21, 2011 @ 12:55 pm



I had the honor of being present for part of Derrick William’s evidentiary hearing in Manatee County. Since my Master’s thesis paper was centered around post-conviction DNA exonerations, I considered it a tremendous opportunity to see the Innocence Project of Florida in action. While in the courtroom, it was obvious to me that the IPF team’s countless hours of hard work was going to pay off. The argument and evidence they presented could not be refuted. As Judge Marc Gilner succinctly stated in his order, the new DNA evidence presented (by the IPF) is of “such a nature that it would probably produce an acquittal at retrial.” The IPF further bolstered its case by discovering that Mr. William’s due process was violated when other potentially exculpatory evidence was destroyed. More importantly, the court agreed. The IPF has done an outstanding job! Seeing Mr. William’s face and that of his family when he was declared a free man makes me a very proud supporter of the Innocence Project of Florida. Thank you Seth Miller!

 Blanca Moscoso — April 21, 2011 @ 5:53 pm


May God bless you for what you are doing. My prayers to all of you, and Mr. Wiliiams.

 Dianne — April 21, 2011 @ 6:39 pm


Your “ministry” in jurisprudence is quintessential in terms of rectifying racism in Florida. As a black male, I hope that your agency will consider contacting the myriad black males in the NFL, NBA, etc., who would support your work! Yes, I am suggesting that those who have much can start a non-profit agency to assist the Derrick Williams of Florida in gaining meaningful educational and employment opportunities. Ergo, do you have a public relations division that solicits financial support? IF I would like to have a couple of athletes contact Innocence Project of Florida for that purpose, then please apprise me of the name, telephone number, e-mail address, or mailing address I can forward to others who want to support a great public service career as yours! Thanks!

 Anthony J. Robinson — April 21, 2011 @ 9:43 pm


This is amazing news! I hope that the Witness Identification Reform Act continues strong. Great job FL Innocence Project!

 Liridona — April 23, 2011 @ 1:54 pm


We congratulate you all on the magnificent work you have done and are doing at IPF. As supporters of The Innocence Project of Florida, we are so proud to be a part of your organization. We, too, were in court for the first hearing on March 15th and were very impressed by the professional approach taken by your lawyers. What a thrilling moment to see Derrick released~thanks to the local coverage on TV and in the Sarasota Herald Tribune. We wish Derrick all good things ahead!
In honor of Derrick’s release, we plan to send you another contribution so that you can continue your fine work. Anthony Robinson’s suggestion that some of the players in the NFL and NBA be contacted to encourage their financial support is terrific!
Keep up the wonderful work of giving the gift of freedom to those wrongly incarcerated!
We love you all! Harriet and Stan Hendel

 Harriet and Stan Hendel — May 2, 2011 @ 8:35 am


Thank you. You are doing the work of the angels. I pray that your passion for the truth and your compassion for the wrongly convicted (and condemned) inspires others to question and improve our flawed justice system.

Michael Higgins

 Michael Higgins — September 28, 2011 @ 10:28 pm