fox46 in Charlotte has a story today about the case of Ronnie Long.
Watch Ronnie Long’s story here.
Long was convicted in 1976 for a rape he has maintained for 40-years he did not commit.
The Duke Innocence Project has taken on Ronnie’s case.
But what can they do? He was convicted, primarily, when the all white jury believed the testimony of the victim who identified Long as the rapist. We know, from Ronald Cotton’s case, and others, that eyewitness identification has questionable reliability even when best practices are used. The victim has passed away.
DNA and other evidence are, most likely, deteriorated or long gone.
The most heart wrenching quote of this story is this: “They offered me a seven year plea for a guilty plea. Seven years, say I’ll be home in three years,” Long said. “My dad looked at me and told me, “I didn’t raise y’all to admit to something you didn’t do.” So I didn’t take the plea. I went to trial.”
You can read more about Ronnie’s case here.
It takes so many things to go right for an innocent man to get out of prison. I hope they start going right for Ronnie right now.
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