Hicks fought for years to get the forensic evidence in his case reviewed. During his wrongful imprisonment, Termaine focused on his mental and spiritual health and used creative writing as an emotional outlet. I was already a devoted Christian, reading my Bible daily. READ MORE: Police shot a Philly man, then accused him of rape. 21, 2020. They instead retired or resigned, and some still receive benefits from their federal employment. At the same time, my thoughts and prayers are with the countless others who are not coming home today or ever because of an impulsive, ill-prepared, and apprehensive cop. Dr. Mark Bozzuti-Jones, Churchwide Global Mission Conference: Journey Into Healing, Finding Home in God with Yale Professor Miroslav Volf 3-Part Online Series. Hicks served 19 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. At one point, Mr. Hicks was considered for parole, but was ultimately denied because he refused to admit guilt, and continued to maintain his innocence. He is going to be returned to something that he should have had on November 27, when police encountered him, but he didnt, Potkin said, the Inquirer reported. The world now knows what Hicks did and did not do. The Philadelphia District Attorneys Offices Conviction Integrity Unit sided with Hicks and his lawyers, and Common Pleas Court Judge Tracy Brandeis-Roman vacated his conviction on Wednesday. EfM gave me the skills, and this is my gift back to the world. Reached by phone Tuesday, Ellis, a crime-scene-unit officer, declined to comment or to confirm he was under investigation. Hicks was released from a state prison outside Philadelphia on Wednesday. He purchased land and other AA's settled near him. Those cases have led to more than a dozen exonerations in recent years and have cost the city more than $35 million since 2018. In his 19 years behind bars, Hicks always maintained his innocence. Hicks says, In the judicial system, theres something called finality that is very hard to overcome.. The men told me how much they loved Dennis.. Dennis Zungolo testified against him They claim they found him raping a woman in an alley near a hospital and Help us advocate for the innocent by sharing the latest news from the Innocence Project. They had stage fright. I feel 100 pounds lighter, he told the Inquirer. Photo: Jason E. Miczek/AP Images for The Innocence Project. Even the most seasoned attorney does not likely get the opportunity to go before them, says Hicks, who was by this time arguing his own case pro se. The agreement announced Wednesday is the latest in a string of seven-figure settlements stemming from claims of misconduct by city police in the late 1980s and 90s. Hicks lawyers argue that was the light that caused the attacker to flee before Hicks, and then police, arrived. What we are doing is just reintroducing simple life decision-making, Hicks explains. He has always maintained that he arrived at the scene when he attempted to help the victim, she said. The chief medical examiner recanted his prior testimony. You went with an armed guard, but its still pretty darn intimidating, this long walk to an ugly little room., There were 12 men in the room, and they all stood when I walked in. The officers involved in this case had extensive internal affairs files with numerous allegations of lying, planting evidence, excessive force, and substantiated complaints filed by civilians. Happy Holidays Termaine! The Philadelphia District Attorneys Office recently concluded much of the testimony against Hicks was false.Dec. As a result of receiving this information, we have opened an Internal Affairs investigation into the allegations of police misconduct, the spokesperson said in an email. Most of those officers have since retiredas opposed to firing, charges or any semblance of actual accountabilitybut some, like those involved in Hicks case, remain on the force and have even been promoted. Press "Enter" or click on the arrow to show results. Police shot a Philly man, then accused him of rape. William Campbell, S.J. It was 2012 by the time Hicks withdrew his appellate rights, which meant he would have another 13 years to serve. Termaine Hicks, 47, on West Girard Avenue in West Philadelphia on Dec. 2, 2022. Termaine Joseph Hicks was freed from prison in Philadelphia on Wednesday after serving 19 of 25 years on a trumped up conviction Hicks, now 45, was jailed in 2001 after Philadelphia cops Marvin Vinson and Sgt. This article was published more than2 years ago. Joint Stipulation of Mr. Hicks and the Commonwealth. There was no evidence linking Hollman to the shooting and the two witnesses who identified him later recanted and said they were coerced by police to give their false testimonies. That means its over; youre going to serve your sentence.. The U.S. Supreme Court hears fewer than 1% of criminal cases that it is asked to review. A jury believed the polices version of events over Hickss story. McGrody did not return phone calls on Tuesday. Through all the years of trials and incarceration, Hicks never lost faith. Termaine Hicks was released from SCI Phoenix Prison Tuesday, Dec.16, 2020 in Collegeville, Penn. He said come sit, check it out. Hicks went to one session as a guest and was intrigued by the concept. Lettman-Hicks filed to run for the District 8 seat on June 1, just days before a federal grand jury indicted on charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Video footage showing the actual assailant dragging the woman into seclusion was never shown to jurors and soon disappeared from evidence. Termaine Hicks, Shot in the Back by Philadelphia Police, Is A woman had been pistol-whipped, dragged into an alleyway behind what was then St. Agnes Hospital in South Philadelphia, and raped until the rapist was startled and fled the scene. He was arraigned while handcuffed to a hospital bed. They shot him three times in the back. Dennis Zungolo. Officer Martin Vinson and Sgt. Read Mr Hicks Motion to Vacate, the Commonwealths response and the Joint Stipulation of Mr. Hicks and the Commonwealth. It was ready to take his case. His brothers Tone Hicks and Tyron McClendon greeted him upon release. They greeted me with such unexpected affection. The woman had Vinson told the court he saw Hicks attacking the woman and saw him reach for a gun. One of the bullets that entered the back of his arm lodged in his chest, collapsing a lung and requiring emergency surgery. Both a forensic analysis of Hicks medical records and a review of his clothing with bullet holes in the back, but none in the front supported Hicks account, according to the citys chief medical examiner. Pennsylvanias statute of limitations for perjury and other relevant criminal charges bars prosecution after five years. However, the recent assessments by both the chief medical examiner for the City of Philadelphia and an independent medical examiner concluded that Mr. Hicks was shot from behind meaning he wasnt coming toward the officers when he was shot. Termaine Hicks was released from SCI Phoenix Prison Tuesday, Dec.16, 2020 in Collegeville, Penn. Wednesday, December 23, 2020, The Front Page Podcast: Pumping the Brakes, NEW: Its not polite to pretend boys can be girls, SCOTUS takes on Bidens student debt agenda. Twice a month, his attorney, Vanessa Potkin, would call from the Innocence Project. What she remembered was that after bright lights appeared, the assault stopped. The gun was also registered to an active-duty police officer who had not reported it missing. All three shots struck Hicks from behind, yet Vinson said he was forced to fire because Hicks was lunging at him. Web7.9K views, 321 likes, 112 loves, 25 comments, 220 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Innocence Project: Termaine Hicks wrote 12 plays and countless poems during his 19 years of wrongful Termaine Hicks - Just Another Day | Termaine Hicks wrote 12 plays and countless poems during his 19 years of wrongful incarceration. On December 16, 2020, Termaine Hicks received what he calls the best news Ive heard in all my life. Hicks learned that, after 19 years in prison for crimes he did not commit, he was finally going home. I am quite cognizant of the pain and the trauma of the victim, and then more pain in realizing that the wrong person was convicted, Brandeis-Roman said. It was in such a group at the State Correctional InstitutionGraterford, a maximum-security prison in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, that EfM group leader Ginny Slichter met Termaine Hicks for the first time. She began taking medication to try to help. WebLiked by Brandon Hicks Attention School of Law alumni: On Wednesday, March 1, Liberty Law will be holding a memorial service for Curtis Walton, who was tragically murdered I liked interacting with all of it. After they covered it up, he was wrongly convicted of attacking her. He also reached out to the Innocence Project. I would remain optimistic and hopeful that the powers that be take a hard look at the numerous officers who were named in that indictment, DeMiles said. He was exonerated in 2020. There was irrefutable evidence that Chester was innocent, is innocent and has always been innocent and would never have been wrongfully convicted aside from extraordinary police misconduct, Green said. According to lawyers, it shows a man in a hoodie dragging the victim into the alley. The Innocence Project is affiliated with Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University. Philadelphia officials said Wednesday that the city will be paying out $9.8 million in one of the largest wrongful-conviction settlements in the citys history to a Black man who spent 28 years in prison for a murder the district attorneys Conviction Integrity Unit now says it was near impossible that he committed. Termaine Hicks was released from SCI Phoenix Prison Tuesday, Dec.16, 2020 in Collegeville, Penn. The training also emphasizes the importance of physical fitness and a healthy lifestyle. Vinson and then-partner Sgt. He was convicted and served 19 years in State Correctional Institution Phoenix, about an hour northwest of Philadelphia. The Innocence Project, which is affiliated with the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, took on Mr. Hicks case in 2011. He was exonerated Uh-oh, overstock: Wayfair put their surplus on sale for up to 50% off. Returning & Becoming: Kanuga Christian Formation, Episcopal Parish Network 38th Annual Conference, African American Readings of St. Paul with Dr. Lisa Bowens, Life Together Fellow, Church of Our Saviour, Milton, MA, Graduate Resident Youth or Childrens Minister. Someone grabbed her, dragged her into an alley and raped her at gunpoint. Witnesses also testified that they had seen a man in a gray hoodie attack the woman, according to court records. WebAfter doing time in prison for a crime he did not commit, Termaine Hicks wrote Step Up, a series of educational videos to teach conflict resolution and critical thinking, to help combat Philadelphias gun violence crisis. He had his hand in his pocket because he was going to attempt to call the police when they arrived and shot him in the back. NBC10s Brian Sheehan has his story. Mr. Hicks, an Innocence Project client, was wrongly convicted of a rape that took place in Philadelphia in 2001. A judge ordered him released last year at age 49, citing evidence that police and prosecutors built their case on fabricated statements from people they coerced as witnesses and later withheld evidence pointing to the likely true perpetrators of the crime. It was dark, and she suffered a head trauma during the assault. S.T.E.P.U.P. He said he was meeting with McGrody, who could answer any further questions. I was writing Christian plays, engaged in independent study, and searching Scripture. I am quite cognizant of the pain and the trauma of the victim, and then more pain in realizing that the wrong person was convicted, Brandeis-Roman said Wednesday, the Inquirer reported. Im a playwright, Hicks says. For 19 years, Termaine Joseph Hicks maintained his innocence. That decision comes after an investigation by the Innocence Project and the District Attorneys Conviction Integrity Unit raised serious questions about whether police had fabricated evidence, planted a gun, and arrested Hicks under false pretenses all to conceal a police shooting of an innocent bystander who had rushed to aid a rape victim. But there was no gray hoodie among Hickss clothes that were turned over to police after he was treated for gunshot wounds in the hospital. And other relevant criminal charges bars prosecution after five years according to court records then accused of. Any further questions in all my life i was already a devoted Christian, reading my Bible daily believed... 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