In 2006, Uriah Courtney was wrongfully convicted of raping and kidnapping a 16-year-old girl. Uriah was only 25 years old when he was arrested, convicted and sentenced to life in prison for a crime he did not commit. Despite having an alibi for the time the crimes were committed, multiple sources to confirm this alibi, and despite the complete lack of reliable evidence, Uriah was sentenced to life in prison, primarily on the basis of mistaken eyewitness identification. The California Innocence Project took on Uriah’s case in 2010. After spending over eight years in prison, the charges against Uriah were eventually dismissed and he was fully exonerated in 2013 thanks to the work of the California Innocence Project and DNA evidence.
Today, Uriah Courtney frequently speaks about the trauma of wrongful conviction, and advocates for justice reform. He is also the co-author of the book “Exoneree,” which is an honest and open account of his time spent in prison, and how he made it through.
A series of remarkable coincidences can send any of us to prison for crimes we didn’t commit.
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