Thomas Raynard James freed after prosecutors admit mistaken identification
A Miami judge vacated the life sentence of a 55-year-old Black man after prosecutors admitted he was wrongfully convicted in a case of mistaken identity.
Thomas Raynard James had served 32 years of the life sentence, NBC News reported.
“He finally got his victory,” James’ attorney Natlie Figgers says. “He is of course happy. In shock. He is suffering a little bit from PTSD. It is unreal that he is still not incarcerated. He has all the time to adjust but for right now it is hitting him that he was incarcerated for 32 years for something he didn’t do.”
Figgers says she always believed in her client’s innocence.
“I told him I didn’t know how long it would take me to get him out, but I promised him I would get him out,” she says. “After I reviewed the facts, I knew if I could just get it in front of the right person that could help me get the resources and information, I needed to corroborate everything, that it would be impossible for someone to see that and not do something.”
“All the evidence showed it wasn’t him,” she added.
She went to review the case weeks before she gave birth to her son. What she read convinced her that she should, despite her lack of experience, try to help James.
And so, just six weeks after her son was born, Figgers began an 18-month investigation that would consume her.
She banged on doors and rang doorbells. She pored over heaps of paperwork. She cold-called people who testified in the case and others related to the case, driving hundreds of miles to gather information and talk to at least 75 people about the case in person. She said she logged more than 2,000 hours researching and interviewing people to build James’ case, pushing aside the car accident and company formation cases she normally takes on.
James contends that a case of mistaken identity and less-than-thorough police work ruined his life, adding that detectives did not follow up with witnesses’ claims that would have cleared his name.
With that admission and the other evidence Figgers compiled, the last step would be for James to take a polygraph test, corroborating the new evidence. He passed. It was the last convincing evidence the Conviction Review Unit needed to recommend that James be freed.
Finally, on April 27, 2022, a judge in Miami ruled that James had been wrongfully imprisoned for 32 years for murder. He was sent home.
“I’m not a better person because of what I went through,” he continued after composing himself. “I’m a different person. I get emotional talking about it; it’s overwhelming. I have emotions running wild, and I think it’s probably going to be that way for the rest of my life.”
The same, Figgers said, go for her. She said she’s also realized that being emotionally connected to her clients’ cases can be effective.
“This case really shaped me in a different way on how I take on cases,” she said. “And I like the fact that I’m going to treat every case differently moving forward, making sure that I listen closely to my client, more than ever before.”
She has added an element to her firm. “Criminal law was an area of law that I avoided,” she said. “However, this cause is too important to avoid when so many wrongfully convicted are reaching out to me for assistance. Knowing you can save a life is something truly rewarding. Nothing compares to that.”
Sources:
- https://youtu.be/irWgKdQHxJA
- https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/new-attorney-helped-clear-innocent-man-murder-sentence-32-years-prison-rcna35298
- https://people.com/crime/florida-man-who-served-32-years-for-murder-freed-after-prosecutors-admit-mistaken-identity/
- https://readloud.net/english