A man has been exonerated in Indiana after being imprisoned for 14 years for a crime he did not commit.
Anthony Bedolla, originally from Mexico, was sentenced to 45 years in prison in 2010 after he was convicted of the murder of Erick Espinoza and a related drug offense in the parking lot of an Indianapolis nightclub.
With the help of the University of Notre Dame Law School’s Exoneration Justice Clinic, Bedolla’s conviction was overturned by the Marion County Superior Court last week and he was set free on August 22.
The nearly two-year investigation, conducted by the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office and the Conviction Integrity Unit and the Exoneration Justice Clinic, found new evidence to overturn Bedolla’s conviction.
The Westville Correctional Facility, in Westville, Indiana, photographed on April 16, 2020 after a COVID-19 outbreak. A man in Indiana has recently been exonerated after his wrongful conviction was overturned, and he served 14 years for a murder he did not commit.
Jeff Mayes/Associated Press
The founder and director of the Exoneration Justice Clinic, former federal prosecutor Professor Jimmy Gurulé, argued that the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department withheld exculpatory evidence pointing to another suspect, and that the lead detective falsely testified during the trial and deposition, according to the clinic’s press release.
Gurulé said, “This was a violation of Bedolla’s constitutional rights. Our client was deprived of the fundamental right to a fair trial because the police knowingly withheld material exculpatory evidence.”
He also told Fox59, “Through our joint collaborative efforts, we have addressed, confronted, and corrected a tragic miscarriage of justice.”
He continued, “In wrongful conviction cases, not only is an innocent person convicted and deprived of his freedom for a crime that he did not commit, but the real killer remains at large and is not held accountable. So, really, it’s a double tragedy and injustice to society.”
When speaking to the Indianapolis Star in Spanish, Bedolla said, “They [prosecutors] should do the work correctly, the right way. In prison, there were similar cases, lots of cases. I honestly don’t know whether these people are innocent or not, but regardless, their stories like mine should be heard,” as reported by the South Bend Tribune.
The Exoneration Justice Clinic allows law students to gain experience by representing clients who were wrongfully convicted, and also provides clients with support services including education, transitional housing, and health care.
According to the National Registry of Exonerations, there have been 3,582 exonerations since 1989, with formerly imprisoned individuals having lost a total of more than 31,900 years.
The Innocence Project also reports that from 1989 to 2020, 375 individuals have been exonerated through DNA evidence. It reported that 64 percent of their clients who have been exonerated identify as Black or LatinX.
The Exoneration Justice Clinic reported that Mexican nationals are particularly vulnerable to being wrongly convicted. They have partnered with the Mexican government to implement the Program for the Defense of Mexican Nationals in Criminal Matters in the United States to provide others with assistance, according to the press release.
Adam Miller, one of the law students working on the case, said, “This moment took years. Today we celebrate that he is free, vindicated, and reunited with his family.”
Newsweek reached out to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department for comment via email.
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