Tracie Brown is a former Houston Police officer. I observed a white female police officer choke and beat a black female in the head with a flashlight. I was the only officer willing to testify against the police department. Because I wouldn’t change my story I was retaliated against by some in the police department. I was threatened by the district attorney's office and the city attorney. I was falsely accused of theft and attempted theft. I was wrongly convicted and was given 15 years for theft and 16 years for attempted theft. I was also given a 460 thousand bond, served with a no-knock warrant, and experienced prosecutorial misconduct. I served 4 years before being paroled in 2014. I am a former organizer for Pure Justice. My current purpose is founder of the nonprofit organization From Badge To Bars To Purpose.

In 1997, Christopher Scott was wrongfully convicted of capital murder as a result of faulty eyewitness identification. Scott was exonerated in 2009, based on another man’s detailed confession – the first non-DNA case. After his release, Scott founded the House of Renewed Hope, a non-profit organization whose goal is to investigate individuals claiming actual innocence.

In 1991, Maria Shepherd was 21 years of age when she was charged in connection with her stepdaughter’s death. On the strength of the evidence of former and disgraced pathologist,

Charles Smith, Maria, in desperation to save her family, entered a false guilty plea in 1992 and was wrongly convicted of manslaughter.

It would take 25 years for Maria to clear her name. On February 29, 2016, the late Honorable Justice Marc Rosenberg would overturn her conviction. Later that year, Maria would successfully be licensed by the Law Society of Ontario as a Paralegal. Maria went on to open her paralegal firm, Shepherd Advocacy & Litigation.

In 2018, Maria became a Co-Director on the Board of Innocence Canada, formerly the Association In Defense of the Wrongly Convicted (the same organization that provided support to Maria, with James Lockyer as her lead Appellate Counsel).

Today, Maria continues to be a staunch advocate against wrongful convictions and sheds light on its devastating domino effects. As part of Maria’s work, she advocates for a more in-depth plea inquiry process and for a much more careful approach to qualifying “experts” and acceptance of their evidence.

Maria has spoken at events in both Canada and the United States.

Anna Vasquez was one of the four women who are known as the San San Antonio 4 and Anna fought for her innocence for 9 years. Anna Vasquez is the director of Outreach and education for the Innocence Project of Texas. Miss Vasquez took on the role after serving nearly 13 years for a crime that never occurred.

I would like to welcome you to our Wrongful Conviction Day Virtual Event Series.  I am super excited to be part of the International Wrongful Conviction Day Committee big shout out to all my new family in Canada and whoever is in the U.S.

I would like to thank the committee for supporting this event and allowing me to highlight some amazing and courageous people who were wrongfully convicted.

Since 1989, over 3,320 wrongful convictions have been revealed across the nation. This issue doesn’t just impact those who’ve been wrongly incarcerated — but their loved ones and communities as well. 

In San Antonio, Texas, Anna Vasquez and her three friends were accused of a brutal crime. Because they had all come out as lesbians, they were wrongfully convicted for the assault of two young girls. The women are now known as the San Antonio Four, and Anna fought for her innocence for 22 years.

Anna Vasquez is the Director of Outreach and Education for the Innocence Project of Texas. Ms. Vasquez took on that role after serving a nearly 13-year prison sentence for a crime that never occurred. Ms. Vasquez and three of her friends, who became known as the San Antonio Four, were convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child in a case that dates back to 1994 when Ms. Vasquez was 19. Ms. Vasquez and her friends spent 24 years fighting for their innocence. In 2016, the court of criminal appeals deemed all four innocent. Ms. Vasquez is now dedicated to sharing her experience in the hopes of improving the justice system and preventing similar occurrences.

Ms. Vasquez currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Houston Forensic Science Center, the Innocence Network Executive Board, and the San Antonio Crime Coalition.

Having a conversation with the grandson of one of the jurors in the trial of the two men who murdered Emmett Till.

Dwight Vick grew up in a small Mississippi town, Coffeeville, and moved to Tempe, Arizona to start a new life.  Earning his Ph.D. from Arizona State University, he teaches courses at Texas A&M International University and Excelsior College.  He published three books on substance abuse policy in America, community panel drug courts, and tenure in higher education.  He is a regular contributor to PA Times

Russell Little is an attorney in Houston, Texas. He has practiced trial law for 36 years. He is licensed to practice in Texas in both state and federal court. He has tried over 200 cases both to a jury and the bench.

Russell’s first published book was Murder For Me, a murder mystery, in 2016. It was a Best Seller on Amazon when it was launched.

Russell also writes children’s books with his wife of 37 years, Melinda. They were inspired to write the stories about their 3-year-old granddaughter, Vivienne.

They live in Houston, Texas, and have three children, Katie, Will, and David, and a son-in-law, Patrick.