Unjust Convictions: Hard Truths of an Unjust System‪.‬ Unjust Convictions

Welcome to Unjust Convictions, the hard truths of an unjust system.

The podcast where every week we do a deep dive into the stories of the individuals who lost years of their lives because of a system that named them the criminal when in reality, they were the victim. We are telling their stories by exploring the crime, the details, the punishment, and the exoneration starting with cases in the 1970s, moving forward.

According to the Innocence Project, more than 20,000 prisoners have been wrongfully convicted since 1980. This podcast hopes to spread awareness about wrongful convictions, the importance of prison reform, and to remain solid on the fact that the truth is not always as clear as it seems.

In this wrongful conviction of the week, we take a deep dive into the spine-chilling case that led to the longest wrongful conviction in history. Steered by false witness testimony, cold-blooded murder, and a mixup with the mafia, the court made the wrong call and a case that seemingly only had one victim, now had two. This is the story of Richard Phillips.

FACTS:

Name of the convict: Richard Phillips

Age at time of incarceration: 26

Age at time of release: 71

Years spent in prison: 45 years 2 months (making this the longest time anyone has ever spent in prison for a crime they didn’t commit.)

Charge: Murder

Sentencing: Life without Parole.

Was DNA Evidence Used In Exoneration:  NO

Where the crime took place: Wayne County in Detroit, Michigan

What year the crime took place: 1971

Prior Convictions: Yes, armed robbery.

Names to know in this case:

Gregory Harris - Victim

Richard Phillips

Richard Polambo

Fred Mitchell



Resources used to explain the case: 

https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=5298