Vinson has not responded to requests for comment and Zungolo referred questions to John McGrody, vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5. But on December 16, 2020, all the news was good. One of the bullets that entered the back of his arm lodged in his chest, collapsing a lung and requiring emergency surgery. Three shots rang out, striking Hicks in the arm, chest, back, and buttock. Photo: Peter Tobia. We welcome new information from any source about exonerations already on our list and about cases not in the Registry that might be exonerations. Court records for this case are available from Pennsylvania Eastern District Court. The Inquirer reported that Hickss lawyer, Vanessa Potkin, said the gun was covered with blood, but the coat pocket, where Vinson claimed Hicks had been keeping the gun, was clean. As the Psalmist wrote, God knows our frame and remembers we are made from dust. With that understanding, I am able to move forward. Everything slowed down, says Hicks. Terms of Use / Privacy Policy / Manage Newsletters, By Associated Press - In the early morning hours of November 27, 2001, Mr. Hicks heard the screams of a woman being raped in an alley in South Philadelphia and went to her aid. He was exonerated At one point, Mr. Hicks was considered for parole, but was ultimately denied because he refused to admit guilt, and continued to maintain his innocence. Hicks had been exonerated. Making it easier for Black people to vote had unexpected consequences, Latinos who use Spanish-language social media get more misinformation, How public colleges have already backed away from affirmative action. Several of the same investigators who worked to convict Wright were also involved in Hollmans case. I found what was already there. He created an organization called S.T.E.P.U.P., an acronym for Selfless Thinking Expresses Potential that Uplifts People, and began writing educational scripts that were later turned into films. Hicks case is yet another example of the pervasive problem of police perjury in the criminal legal system. I would remain optimistic and hopeful that the powers that be take a hard look at the numerous officers who were named in that indictment, DeMiles said. Wow you are a hero.and a very blessed man. One of those plays, Soldiers in the Army of the Lord, was performed at Graterford in 2012 in honor of Hickss EfM graduation. Hicks case is yet another example of systemic police abuse that is pervasive in the criminal legal system and persists because of institutional protections and a lack of accountability, said Vanessa Potkin, director of post-conviction litigation at the Innocence Project, who represented Mr. Hicks. Hicks was released from a state prison outside Philadelphia on Wednesday. His brothers Tone Hicks and Tyron McClendon greeted him upon release. According to lawyers, it shows a man in a hoodie dragging the victim into the alley. Hicks fought for years to get the forensic evidence in his case reviewed. In his 19 years behind bars, Hicks always maintained his innocence. I could have been paralyzed; there are still fragments of that bullet near my spine. As the case slowly made its way through the courts, she said she couldnt sleep through the night. His payout is just $50,000 short of the record for settlements of its kind in the city a distinction held by the $9.85 million agreement the city struck in 2018 with Anthony Wright, a man who served nearly 25 years of a sentence for a 1991 rape and murder that DNA evidence proved decades later he did not commit. A police spokesperson said the DA provided details on the allegations only after Hicks case was resolved. When recovered, the firearm was covered in blood belonging to the victim, who was bleeding profusely when the police arrived at the scene. Slichter said to them, I dont know how you feel about having a woman for a mentor. Only after did they realize their mistake Mr. Hicks was not the right person. Termaine Hicks, 47, on West Girard Avenue in West Philadelphia on Dec. 2, 2022. Mr. Hicks was exonerated after the Philadelphia Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU), led by Patricia Cummings, joined the Innocence Projects motion to vacate his conviction. Hickss case began in the early-morning hours of Nov. 27, 2001, according to a memorandum summarizing the case, as a woman walked to an early shift at Dunkin Donuts. Heres what that means. Mr. Hicks, an Innocence Project client, was wrongly convicted of a rape that took place in Philadelphia in 2001. False testimony was used, said Patricia Cummings, chief of the Conviction Integrity Unit, the Inquirer reported. Vinson, most recently assigned to the Third Police District, has not responded to requests for comment. The women feared that if they came forward theyd be sent to another federal facility far from their families, interrupting the education and work programs they had at Coleman, which is the largest federal prison in the U.S. Settlements were approved by the Attorney Generals office on Monday. information about the Registry, Assault, Other Violent Felony, Gun Possession or Sale, Perjury or False Accusation, Official Misconduct, Inadequate Legal Defense. Although most of the evidence analyzed in the recent review of the case was available at the time of Hickss original trial, the jury never saw an enhanced security tape that corroborated parts of Hickss story. Hicks says, In the judicial system, theres something called finality that is very hard to overcome.. Vinson told the court he saw Hicks attacking the woman and saw him reach for a gun. During his wrongful imprisonment, Mr. Hicks said he focused on his mental and spiritual health and used creative writing as an emotional outlet. This dragging on, its like youre still living it, Reynolds said. He purchased land and other AA's settled near him. An officerwho along with his complicit partner is still currently on the forcefirst shot Hicks three times while he was pulling out a cell phone to call for help for the rape victim. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. A jury believed the polices version of events over Hickss story. Joseph Tremaine Hicks, his lawyer said, is going to be returned to something that he should have had when police encountered him the presumption of innocence.. Realizing Mr. Hicks did not match the description of the attacker provided by a neighbor to 911 and that he was unarmed, the officers embarked on a cover-up, which included: Based on the officers testimony, Mr. Hicks was convicted of rape, aggravated assault, possessing an instrument of crime, and terroristic threats. Termaine Hicks, Shot in the Back by Philadelphia Police, Is Surveillance tape from that night could reconcile her account with Hicks. The agreement announced Wednesday is the latest in a string of seven-figure settlements stemming from claims of misconduct by city police in the late 1980s and 90s. In this case, the new evidence came from Hickss clothing and his own body. The Innocence Project is affiliated with Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University. The vision is to have these videos in every classroom. He turned S.T.E.P.U.P. Both sides said it did not follow that the gun was smeared in blood, while the interior of the pocket it supposedly came from was pristine. Ive been saying the same thing since day one. Based on these lies, Mr. Hicks was convicted of rape, aggravated assault, possessing an instrument of crime, and terroristic threats in 2002 and sentenced to up to 25 years in prison. Thank you for your understanding in this matter. Ignatius, Discernment, and You with the Rev. The United States has settled a lawsuit with 15 women who said correctional officers at a federal prison in Florida repeatedly sexually abused them. Joint Stipulation of Mr. Hicks and the Commonwealth. However, the recent assessments by both the chief medical examiner for the City of Philadelphia and an independent medical examiner concluded that Mr. Hicks was shot from behind meaning he wasnt coming toward the officers when he was shot. You went with an armed guard, but its still pretty darn intimidating, this long walk to an ugly little room., There were 12 men in the room, and they all stood when I walked in. Along the way I found a hidden talent, he says. She would always say, Ive got some good news and some not-so-good news. The good news was that he still had a chance, and the not-so-good news was another continuance60 days, 90 days, 180 days. Thank you for visiting us. According to the Inquirer, since 2018, 17 defendants have been exonerated in cases involving many of the same officers who led the investigations into Hollmans and Wrights cases. However, police did not disclose the surveillance footage until after the trial. 21, 2020. It was brutal for the guys in the penitentiary. On Wednesday, after 19 years incarceration, Hicks, 45, was, at last, exonerated. Termaine Hicks was released from SCI Phoenix on Dec. 16 after 19 years in prison. READ MORE: Police shot a Philly man, then accused him of rape. How Black and Latino people did in this last round of redistricting. The timing was uncanny. All three shots struck Hicks from behind, yet Vinson said he was forced to fire because Hicks was lunging at him. That means its over; youre going to serve your sentence.. Few will have a story as heart-wrenching as Termaine Hickss. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. She said Hicks had gone to the victim to render aid. Mr. But as settlement conferences dragged on, the effects of her trauma worsened. Philadelphia police officer Marvin Vinson arrived on the scene with his partner, Sgt. Dennis Zungolo, who was with him at the scene, did not return phone and email messages Wednesday. Hicks said the officer shot him in the back as he was reaching into his pocket for his phone to call 911. I liked how it was staggered, year one through four, he says. I was already a devoted Christian, reading my Bible daily. Its unfortunate and sad that it took how long it took for me to clear my name.. Someone grabbed her, dragged her into an alley and raped her at gunpoint. And I believe its impossible to say that did not contribute to the conviction.. Is Wakanda Forever too woke for Marvels own good? scripts he had written while incarcerated. For 19 years, Termaine Joseph Hicks maintained his innocence. 2023 Innocence Project. Had these records been publicly available, Mr. Hicks may not have had to endure so many years of injustice or been wrongly convicted at all, she said. False testimony was used, and I believe its impossible to say that did not contribute to the conviction.. Baden testified that all shots were fired from behind Hicks, so he could not have been lunging at the officer who pulled the trigger. He was arraigned while handcuffed to a hospital bed. William Campbell, S.J. WebOn February 27, 2003, Hicks was sentenced to between 12 and 25 years in prison. Hicks was then charged with the rape and later exonerated after the Conviction Integrity Unit found that the case was built on liespossibly to cover up the unjustified shooting and that forensic evidence easily cleared Hicks who should never have been arrested let alone convicted of the rape. Philadelphia police shot a man and accused him of rape. The other guys on the [cell] block were shouting. If the case had not settled, it would have gone to trial next year. Visitors walked directly through the general population to the other end of the prison where the chapel was, where the classes are held. Dennis Zungolo. Hicks recruited other prisoners to act in the production. The agreement announced Wednesday is the latest in a string of seven-figure settlements stemming from claims of misconduct by city police in the late 1980s But the prosecutors who reworked the case now say at least some of the testimony against Hicks was not true. He was exonerated after the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office conceded that lead police But in recent years, evidence has piled up to suggest that the case presented by police and prosecutors was riddled with errors, the Inquirer reported. In fact, it would be eight years before they could look at it. Termaine Hicks was convicted on rape and other charges, largely on the testimony of police officers. 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