Tennessee Innocence Project (www.tninnocence.org)

Donate to Help Eric Wright's New Life Chapter Post Wrongful Conviction, organized by Eric Wright Hi, my name is Eric Wright, and I was incarcerated for 36 yea… Eric Wright needs your support for Help Eric Wright's New Life Chapter Post Wrongful Conviction

(5/5) If Eric’s story moves you, please consider supporting his GoFundMe to help him rebuild his life and ensure that wrongfully convicted people across Tennessee have the resources they need to thrive: www.gofundme.com/f/help-eric-...

(4/5) Eric was released from prison last month, and he was officially exonerated in a Shelby County court yesterday, November 18th. As we celebrate this 10th exoneration, we are inspired by Eric’s resilience and the dedication of our attorneys that made this day possible. Congratulations, Eric!

(3/5) In 2024, the Tennessee Innocence Project filed a petition for new fingerprint testing through the AFIS database. The results identified an alternative suspect, providing the first physical evidence of the actual perpetrator, who had no connection to Eric.

(2/5) Eric Wright was arrested in 1989 for a South Memphis robbery and shooting and sentenced to 150 years in prison, despite no physical evidence linking him to the crime. His conviction relied on a single, cross-racial eyewitness identification and a fatally flawed photo lineup.

🧵 (1/5) TIP ANNOUNCES 10TH EXONERATION: Yesterday, we celebrated the long-overdue exoneration of Eric Wright, who spent nearly 36 years imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. This marks the 10th exoneration achieved by the Tennessee Innocence Project since opening their doors in 2019.

7/7 Ricky Lee Webb is now one of the longest-serving exonerees in U.S. history. Today, we celebrate his resilience and the tireless work of those who fought for his freedom. Happy Freedom Anniversary, Ricky!

6/7 In August 2024, TIP presented this evidence. Judge Roy Morgan, Jr. overturned Ricky’s conviction, quoting Dr. King: “An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Ricky was formally exonerated on Halloween 2024.

5/7 TIP also found that Carl Ray had schizophrenia and had been coerced into testifying. The TBI used racist threats against both him and Ricky’s alibi witness, forcing her to change her story.

4/7 Decades later, in 2021, Ricky wrote to the Tennessee Innocence Project. TIP uncovered hundreds of pages of suppressed evidence, including Carl Ray’s detailed confession that he acted alone.

3/7 Carl Ray took a plea deal 18 months later and testified against Ricky. His unreliable testimony was the only evidence at trial. Ricky, with no criminal record, offered five alibi witnesses. Still, he was convicted by an all-white jury.

2/7 In 1976, a 29-year-old mother was raped and murdered in Milan, TN. Seventeen-year-old Carl Ray Webb was arrested and later implicated his uncle, Ricky, despite no physical evidence linking him to the crime.

1/7 🎃🖤 Today marks one year since Ricky Lee Webb was exonerated after 46 years wrongfully imprisoned. His story is a stark reminder of why the fight for justice continues.

TIP Client Eric Wright Released from Prison — Tennessee Innocence Project 10/2/2025   Eric Wright was released yesterday from prison after serving nearly 36 years for a crime he didn’t commit. Wright was arrested in October 1989 for the robbery and shooting of a con...

7/7- We celebrate Eric’s freedom and the resilience he showed through decades of wrongful imprisonment. And we continue our fight for those still behind bars. Every story like Eric’s underscores why TIP’s work matters. 💙 www.tninnocence.org/newsreleases...

6/7- Eric’s release coincides with International Wrongful Conviction Day, a day to honor the wrongfully convicted worldwide and raise awareness about the causes and consequences of these injustices.

5/7- Today, Eric is reunited with his family after nearly four decades apart. This is a moment of freedom he fought tirelessly for, and one that reminds us of the human cost of wrongful convictions.

4/7- Eric Wright never gave up hope, as his attorney, TIP Legal Director Jessica Van Dyke, emphasizes: “Eric is a man of faith, and he did not give up that hope that one day the truth of his innocence would be heard. I am incredibly excited to see what Eric does next with his freedom.”

3/7- For decades, Eric maintained his innocence. In 2024, TIP petitioned for fingerprint testing on evidence from the crime scene. The results identified one of the actual perpetrators—someone with no connection to Eric.

2/7 - Eric was arrested in 1989 for a Memphis robbery and assault with intent to murder. Convicted in 1990, his case relied solely on a single, flawed eyewitness ID. No physical evidence linked him to the crime.

A picture of Eric Wright, a TIP client who was freed yesterday after spending 36 years behind bars wrongfully incarcerated.

🎉 BREAKING on #WrongfulConvictionDay! TIP client Eric Wright is FREE after nearly 36 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. His release is a moment of celebration—and a reminder of why we fight for justice. 🧵

Tech Won’t Fix Eyewitness Identification - Will Collins - Inquest Eyewitness identification is a deeply flawed practice. Adding facial recognition technology, with its veneer of objectivity, only worsens the crisis of mass incarceration.

An important piece on how technology can create, not erase, harm in the criminal legal system.

inquest.org/tech-wont-fi...

For #WorldGratitudeDay, we’re sharing reflections from our clients as they work to rebuild their lives after wrongful conviction.

Photo of Josh Horner, smiling on the steps of the court house. His wife Kelli is on his right and attorney Steve Wax is on his left

🧵Today, we celebrate seven years of freedom for our former client, Josh Horner.

Josh was wrongfully convicted of sexually abusing a child in April 2017 and sentenced to fifty years in prison, effectively a life sentence for the then 41-year-old.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Surprise Exoneree Robert DuBoise With Custom Cleats - Innocence Project

Robert DuBoise spent 37 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Since his exoneration, Robert developed a bond with his hometown team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. innocenceproject.org/news/tampa-b...

6/6- Microscopic hair comparison may be history, but its impact lives on in the lives it upended. ⚖️

DNA now guides justice, but these lessons remind us why rigorous science and the investigative efforts of the Tennessee Innocence Project matters.

#ForensicScience #TNInnocence

5/6- As a result, DNA evidence has become the gold standard in forensic science, rendering techniques like microscopic hair comparison obsolete and unreliable for convicting suspects.

4/6- The use of flawed hair comparison led to numerous wrongful convictions, including the case of Santae Tribble, who spent 28 years wrongfully imprisoned before DNA evidence proved his innocence.

3/6- Hair comparison was never a foolproof method. Experts often claimed that hair samples "matched" without the use of conclusive scientific data, leading to wrongful convictions.

2/6- Microscopic hair analysis was based on subjective visual comparisons, lacking scientific accuracy and reproducibility. The FBI’s own review found that in 96% of cases, forensic experts gave erroneous testimony based on this method.

1/6- Microscopic hair comparison once convicted the innocent. Now, DNA is the gold standard. 🧬 Learn how flawed science impacts the wrongfully convicted, including those right here in Tennessee 👇

6/6 - Organizations nationwide work to bridge this gap, ensuring that scientific truth isn't reserved for those who can afford it. Justice should be based on evidence, not economics. #ScienceOfJustice #WrongfulConvictions #ForensicScience