A man who spent 20 years in jail for a crime he did not commit spoke at YSU, advocating for The Ohio Innocence Project and the expansion of student groups at universities around the state.
OIP’s work led to the legal victory for Laurese Glover and his associates. Laurence Glover, who served decades in prison for a crime he did not commit in East Cleveland, spoke at the YSU Kilcawley Center.
He told the story of his and two friends’ erroneous convictions, ten-year legal fights, and eventual exoneration at YSU’s first Ohio Innocence Project branch.
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They were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and legally required material was not turned over to their trial attorney.
“I was unfairly detained for 20 years. I entered when I was 17. It was really difficult, not only for me, but also for my family, friends, and their families,” Glover explained.
Attorneys and law students from the University of Cincinnati Law’s Ohio Innocence Project discovered critical secret police records, resulting in their exonerations in August 2016. “We eventually received police reports containing all types of exculpatory material that the constitution mandates to be turned over to the defendant and his or her attorney, which cracked the case open. It permitted the grant of a move for a new trial,” said OIP’s Director of Policy and Engagement, Attorney Pierce Reed.”
“Laurence was falsely condemned alongside two of his pals. They were all teens aged 16, 17, and 18, and they and their families had worked very hard for their freedom for years,” Attorney Reed stated.
Reed stated, “One of the unfortunate aspects of this case is that a 14-year-old girl witnessed a horrific murder and recognized the automobile Derek, Eugene, and Laurece were in. There was no misbehavior involved. The automobile accelerated away from the site since they understood what a shooting was.
“There were witnesses who stated that it was not Laurence, Derek, or Eugene, but did provide some information about who the actual shooter was, thus the victim’s family, our three clients, and society did not receive justice. “It was a combination of factors that led to this unfortunate outcome,” Attorney Reed stated.
“Despite several requests over the years for those records, they were eventually turned over. It did not appear that the police or law enforcement officers were withholding information. A prosecutor sent a cover letter threatening the law enforcement department if they turned over the records. So some of these things read like a Grisham novel. “You can’t believe they’re true, but they are,” Reed explained.
“It took us ten years.” OIP accepted our case, but we returned to court three times. We filed three appeals and were even denied. “There was progress being made, which gave you all the hope in the world,” Glover said.
Since his release, Glover has been sharing his remarkable redemption story, while he and OIP attorneys fight to lessen the likelihood that others will spend their lives in jail after being wrongfully convicted.
“I was angry during the struggle, but walking away felt like a big release. It would be difficult to find peace or be joyful now that it is gone if you held onto your resentment toward the ones who caused it,” Glover underlined.
“Our job is to help innocent people and we can debate all kinds of things about the criminal legal system and what justice is, but we should all agree innocent people are not the people who should be behind bars,” Reed, the attorney representing the accused, said. I do not want this to happen to anyone else.
I served 20 years, but one day in prison for something you did not do is not acceptable. I try to transform a bad into a good; going out there to do so raises awareness about the situation, and so many men cannot speak up for themselves. I do it for them.
“I know we can’t stop all wrongful convictions, but maybe we can reduce the numbers from where they are now,” Glover stated. “Derek lost both his mother and father while in prison for something he did not do. He never got to visit his mother and father. “It still bothers him today,” Glover said.
Glover warns that erroneous convictions do occur and may affect someone you care about. The Ohio Innocence Project at Cincinnati Law is a non-profit organization that relies on donations.
“If anyone there has a loved one in prison for a crime they did not commit, we want them to know about the Ohio Innocence Project.” We want them to be aware of the Ohio Public Defenders Office’s wrongful conviction project. That department is led by one of the world’s top. Attorney Reed of the Ohio Innocence Project stated, “We want people to have hope, and we want everyone to understand what wrongful convictions are and the cost everyone pays for them.”
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