Man Spent 22 Years on Death Row for a Crime He Didn't Commit

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Summary:

  • The man was falsely accused of a crime he didn't commit and spent 22 years on death row surrounded by killers.
  • He survived through compassion and empathy for his torturers, which enabled personal growth.

Unfortunately, at the age of 20, I was falsely accused of the rape and murder of a woman I never met. So I can understand right now the feeling Andrew's going through, especially at what feels like the end of the journey. But it still goes on, and it'll never leave my life, actually. So I've tried to do this mitigating thing of trading upon the efforts of helping people not harm themselves or do suicidal thoughts and using my own example, they can really identify what it must take to hold on. How did you do that? I mean, you knew you were innocent. Presumably those around you in the prison service assumed that everybody who says they're innocent is guilty. How did you keep yourself sane? I wasn't allowed to protest my innocence like most people because I was on death row surrounded by killers.


Surviving on Death Row

If they thought I was weak, they would have preyed upon me even worse. So I wasn't one of those men who was allowed to go around and say, hey, I'm innocent because I was dealing with the trauma of having to be in the worst level. They made me fight other men for the amusement of the guards. They tortured me openly. I spent all 22 years in solitary confinement. The only thing that really gave me empowerment over my torturers is compassion. I felt sorry for them for hurting me and it allowed me to grow as a human being.


The man's experience highlights the flaws in the justice system and the resilience of the human spirit.

Location: London, UK

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