3: Righting Wrongful Convictions
In 1992, Marilyn Mulero was sentenced to death for a double murder in Chicago. After hours of interrogation with no legal counsel, a false ‘confession’ was coerced by police detectives. She was then encouraged to sign a plea bargain and give up the chance of a trial by jury. Little did she know that the 29-year-old law professor who read her story in a local newspaper would, 25 years later, become the man to win her freedom.
Justin Brooks’ dogged determination to prove Marilyn’s innocence has also seen him exonerate more than 30 wrongfully convicted people from Chicago’s prisons. In 1999 he co-founded the California Innocence Project, from which other innocence groups around the world now take inspiration. He has already been portrayed in a Hollywood film, but filmmakers continue to bid for the chance to tell one of the world’s most inspiring stories.
Kylie speaks to Justin from his home in San Diego. When he’s not working every hour on appeals with his law students, he unwinds by going for walks on the beach or hibernating in his Derbyshire home on the other side of the Atlantic.
“Maybe I’m not the smartest lawyer in the world”, he says, “but I’m one of the most determined.”
Read more about the California Innocence Project
The Innocence Podcast is brought to you by The Manchester Innocence Project
Presenter/Researcher: Kylie Pentelow
Producer: Lucy McDaid
Editor: Kris McConnachie
Executive Producer: Professor Claire McGourlay