Openmikedetroit

10/17/2021

Conviction integrity units (CIUs) played pivotal roles in 61% of the 129 exonerations that occurred across America in 2020. However, only about 100 of the roughly 6,000 prosecutors’ offices in America have CIUs.

Detroiter Free Kenneth Nixon was exonerated in February after the CIU at the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office declared he did not receive a fair trial.

🎙 Tune in to to find out how they helped facilitate his long overdue release: https://rb.gy/umzp8u

10/15/2021

Free Kenneth Nixon was shocked and horrified when he was wrongfully convicted in connection with a Detroit firebombing that killed two children.

At sentencing, the judge asked Ken if he wanted to make a statement. “I would just like you to know you’re about to sentence an innocent man to prison,” he declared.

He would be incarcerated for the next sixteen years.

🎙 Tune into to find out how Ken reassembled the pieces of his life following his exoneration: https://rb.gy/umzp8u

10/13/2021

Free Kenneth Nixon was 19 when he was wrongfully convicted of the firebombing of a Detroit residence that caused the death of two children. He was 34 when he was finally exonerated this past February.

Meanwhile, justice has yet to be served — almost 16 years of Ken’s life were stolen, and the perpetrator of the crime remains at large.

However, he remains committed to raising awareness of the wrongful conviction crisis via his advocacy work with the National Organization of Exonerees.

🎙 Learn about this admirable initiative on : https://rb.gy/umzp8u

10/12/2021

In 2005, Free Kenneth Nixon and his girlfriend were arrested and charged in connection with a tragic Detroit firebombing that killed two children. While Kenneth’s girlfriend was acquitted by a jury, he was given two life sentences.

Reviews by the Medill - Northwestern University Justice Project, WMU Cooley Innocence Project, and Wayne County Conviction Integrity Unit determined Kenneth didn’t receive a fair trial, citing inconsistent eyewitness testimony, jailhouse snitch testimony, and a poor arson investigation. On February 18th, 2021, Nixon was released from prison, 16 years after his conviction.

In this stunning installment of , Kenneth reflects on the systemic biases that contributed to his wrongful conviction and provides updates about his post-release life — including inspiring advocacy work with the National Organization of Exonerees

🎙 Don’t miss this all-new episode in our wrongful conviction series!: https://rb.gy/umzp8u

10/10/2021

In 1996, three years into Derrick Sanders’s wrongful prison sentence, his mother received a signed affidavit from a man named Anthony Boddie.

“The only reason I told the police that Mr. Sanders did it is because they insisted that he did it,” he wrote. “I tried to tell them that he didn’t do anything, but they kept on insisting that he did it. I was scared, so I gave a false statement.”

Sanders’ mother submitted the letter to his attorney… yet Derrick was not exonerated until 2018.

Why didn’t this admission of guilt merit Derrick’s release? Why did he spend an additional 22 years in prison?

🎙 Find out more on an all-new episode of : https://rb.gy/t5byci

10/08/2021

According to research conducted by the Innocence Project, bad lawyering (on both prosecution and defense sides) accounts for at least 18% of wrongful conviction cases.

Unfortunately, as countless wrongful convictions go unreported, this percentage is likely even greater than the study reports.

Just as you would with a medical professional, you’re within your rights to get a second legal opinion if something in your case feels amiss.

🎙 Tune into to learn about the red flags you should be aware of: https://rb.gy/t5byci

10/07/2021

As a result of terrible legal defense, Navy veteran Derrick Sanders wrongfully spent 25 years in prison after he pled no contest to being party to homicide — without committing the crime or even understanding what the charges meant.

Although Derrick was finally released in 2018, he’s still being victimized by the legal system — the state of Wisconsin limits his wrongful conviction compensation to a mere $25,000.

$25,000 for 25 years wrongfully incarcerated is a slap in the face. Will Derrick ever be adequately compensated?

🎙 Find out on : https://rb.gy/t5byci

10/05/2021

10/02/2021

October 2nd is International Wrongful Conviction Day.

Established in 2013 by the The Innocence Network, International Wrongful Conviction Day aims to raise awareness of the systemic causes and preventative remedies of wrongful convictions and to recognize the staggering personal, social, and emotional tolls that wrongful convictions wreak on innocent individuals, their families, and communities.

While visibility of this crisis is ever-increasing, more must be done to advance reform efforts. Click below for information on the fourteen wrongfully incarcerated people we’ve hosted on Open Mike, as well as ways to join the fight for justice.

👓 See more: https://www.855mikewins.com/wrongful-conviction-stories/

09/30/2021

September 30th is International Podcast Day, an annual, global celebration of the informative, storytelling power of podcasts! 🎙 🎉

Since our podcast dropped in 2019, we’ve had the privilege of producing 117 riveting episodes with guests ranging from professional athletes, award-winning journalists, wrongfully convicted individuals, and criminal justice experts, to name a few — and we’re just getting started!

In honor of , binge a new podcast, donate to your favorite podcast producer, create your own podcast, and — of course — subscribe to Open Mike right here: https://www.855mikewins.com/podcast/

What are some of YOUR favorite podcasts?

09/26/2021

In general, you do not have to talk to or respond to questions from law enforcement officers (or anyone else), even if you do not feel free to walk away from the officer, you are arrested, or are in jail.

It is imperative to speak to a lawyer before agreeing to answer any questions. Countless wrongful convictions stem from false confessions forged by police coercion, intimidation, and gaslighting without attorneys present.

🎙 Check out our most recent episode of for more ways to protect your legal rights: https://rb.gy/9qbrnk

09/24/2021

One of the reasons features wrongful convictions is so potential jurors will hopefully see these episodes, approach trials with appropriate skepticism, and put the proper weight behind their decisions — because people’s lives are on the line.

In Eric Anderson's case, the jury simply didn’t believe him, despite multiple pieces of evidence corroborating his innocence.

While he’s been released from prison, Eric’s quest for justice is far from over.

🎙 Tune into our latest episode for more on his journey: https://rb.gy/9qbrnk

09/23/2021

There’s no making sense of the injustice our fellow citizens endure when they’re wrongfully convicted.

One of the best ways to honor them and their experiences is to urge our lawmakers to introduce more protective measures and procedures in the criminal justice system.

Following his nine-year wrongful incarceration, Detroiter Eric Anderson and his peers at The National Registry of Exonerations are putting the pressure on legislators to eliminate these tragic errors in the future.

🎙 Find out more about their mission on : https://rb.gy/9qbrnk

09/21/2021

In April 2010, Eric Anderson was arrested and charged for the robbery and beating of two men outside their Detroit home. At the time of the crime, Anderson was at a Coney Island, 10 miles away, where he was shot in the foot.

Despite hospital records and security footage confirming his shooting injury, Eric would spend nine years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, asserting his innocence the entire time.

The Michigan Innocence Clinic re-investigated Anderson’s claims of innocence and, following an interview with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office’s Conviction Integrity Unit, his sentence was vacated on April 30th, 2019.

How did such a chain of events occur when multiple pieces of evidence corroborated Eric’s innocence? Why was he allowed to remain in prison for so long when it was clear he wasn’t present for this robbery?

🎙 Tune in to this mind-blowing, all-new installment of to find out: https://rb.gy/9qbrnk

09/14/2021

Thelonious Searcy served 17 years for a murder that a self-professed hitman has admitted to.

He was released in April after the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that the Wayne County Circuit should take a closer look at his conviction and grant a second trial.

However, Thelonious remains under house arrest while the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office debates whether to dismiss the charges or grant him a second trial — despite overwhelming evidence demonstrating his innocence.

Why is the Prosecutor’s Office so hesitant to simply drop the charges? What is to be gained by keeping Thelonious in this limbo?

🎙 Learn more on : https://rb.gy/jhu2sj

09/08/2021

On April 20th, 2021, Thelonious Searcy was released from prison after serving 17 years for a murder he did not commit.

While he credits his faith for helping him persevere prior to release, Thelonious currently awaits a retrial while under house arrest— despite multiple admissions of guilt from another state prisoner.

What are his plans as he waits a second trial — or dismissal of charges?

🎙 Find out on an all-new episode of : https://rb.gy/jhu2sj

09/07/2021

Detroiter Thelonious Searcy has wrongfully served 17 years behind bars for a murder that a self-professed hitman has confessed to committing.

Despite no evidence tying him to the scene of the alleged crime, Searcy is stuck in a holding pattern. He and his lawyer await to see if the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office appeals a ruling from the Michigan Court of Appeals.

Why is he stuck under house arrest while he awaits a second trial? Why doesn’t Prosecutor Kym Worthy dismiss his charges?

🎙Tune into this riveting episode of to find out: https://rb.gy/jhu2sj

09/05/2021

Cash bail was designed as a means of conditional release that encouraged arrested people to return for trial.

But, on any given day, there are nearly 500,000 people being held in American jail cells, awaiting their day in court, because they can’t afford to pay it.

Plus, studies from districts that have abolished it show that over 90% of defendants still show up to their court dates, even without bail as an incentive!

So, why is it still so widely used?

🎙 Find out on : https://rb.gy/zdyfcf