In nineteen ninety six, a man by the name of Hulan Bernard Howard allowed separate dealers to sell crack from the front porch and basement of his home in the crime ridden neighborhood of West Philadelphia, while his girlfriend Lena Laws would buy crack from anyone she could. At around ten thirty pm on August sixth, Miss Laws invited small
time dealer Jamar Gladden over to buy some crack. Just then, another of mister Howard's dealers, Jamel Lawson, along with a man known as Stink, entered the home, both armed to settle a drug dead. They shot and killed mister Howard and robbed their small time rival Jamar Gladden in the process. With the eyewitness testimony of his Laws, who had just smoked crack, investigators would manufacture a theory of events that would place Jamar Gladden as acting along with the two
armed robbers Jamel Lawson and Stink. But who was Stink Well, Jamar's childhood friend, Terence Lewis was known as Stink, and an anonymous tip would name Terrence as the other arm robber. Surprise, it didn't quite matter to the Philadelphia police that he wasn't the right one. All three men were sent to life without parole on the word of miss Laws. Eventually, those several eyewitnesses, including both of his co defendants, would
come forward to deny Terrence's involvement. Two Supreme Court rulings would also aid his cause, and then, working together, Terrence's lawyers along with the Philadelphia Conviction Integrity Unit led by Patricia Cummings, would uncover a serious Brady violation, revealing that the police knew the real identity of Stink all the way back in nineteen ninety six. This is Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flamm. Welcome back to Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flamm.
Today you're going to hear the story of Terence Lewis Terrence. First of all, welcome to the show. I always say I'm happier here, but I'm sorry you had to be here in the first place.
Yeah, I appreciate that. Thank you, Jason.
Yeah. Man, I'm really excited to be able to share your remarkable story and your humanity and your spirit with our audience. So let's get right into it. So, first of all, you grew up in.
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PI.
Yes, I mean I know, having spoken with Meek Mill on another episode of the show. Of course he's younger than you are, but he talks about growing up in the streets of Philadelphia and how trying to stay alive was a challenge in and of itself.
You know, being exposed at a young age to murder, the current police brutality that was norm you know for those who are under privileged or come from you know, all our poor neighborhoods.
You were as a young man subject to dodging not only bullets from gangs, but also trying to avoid the confrontations that have now become so much a part of the public consciousness as we see in the era and now where everyone has a video camera in their pocket. But back then it was in the shadows. True, And we're talking about the nineties when things were pretty crazy, well everywhere, but in Philadelphia, especially especially as a young black man growing up there. What was that like?
You know, in West Philadelphia where I grew up, it was crime infested, you know, the war on drugs, and the streets was in dis array. Me growing up in a single parent household. My father was you know, overseas and the military dedicated his life so I grew up with me and my siblings underneath the care of my mother, who was no other than a high school the Phona, you know, tried to struggle and you know, and keep
a roof over our head. You know, I've been working since nineteen ninety four, the legal age, with the consent of my mother to be able to work as a youth counselor so from ninety four all the way up to my abduction, you know, I always work.
Let's fast forward to ten thirty pm, around ten thirty pm on August sixth of nineteen ninety six. Is that on that night, three young men entered the home of a guy named Hulan Howard, and according to Howard's girlfriend, Lena Laws, they were there to settle a drug debt. One of the men fired a shotgun into the ceiling. Again this is her version of events, before shooting and killing mister Howard when he couldn't pay what he owed.
So she later changed that story because there were no holes found in the ceiling and she changed the story to that the man had loaded a shotgun shell. Then another one of the men shot mister Howard with a handgun and they stole twenty dollars from his Laws and fled the scene.
You're right in regards to you know, her version of events, whichever one, because there were many. One of her narratives is that three guys arrived together. That's not true. One of the three men, Jamar Gladden, is a victim himself, and the record reflects this that when Jamar Gladden was summoned by Lena Laws to come near, unfortunately Jamel Laws
and his cohort also arrived there. Freak chance, right, but nonetheless true story, and the Philadelphia Police Department intertwined and weave a whole case together and killed three birds with one stone.
Although you know you were the bird that wasn't even in the nest. Exactly so, Miss Laws. According to her, she knew one of the men, a guy named Jamel Lawson you mentioned as Mellow. His nickname was Melo, and he had dell drugs out of the basement of the guy who was murdered, mister Howard. She also knew the guy with the shotgun by his nickname, which was Stink.
Exactly when Lena Laws was telling the police what happened at night, what transpired, she didn't want to tell the narrative that I called Jamar Gladden and it come. She just said, hey, look, three guys came and she said who was Jamar Gladden? Jamel Lawson? And then they say who is this third other individual? They said goes by the name of State, who we come to find and know was a day Muhammad and the cops knew this the second day after the interviewing.
Lena last, did you know any of these people?
Jamar Gladden is a childhood friend of mine who, sad to say, but true, was a petty drug dealer back then. Him and Lena Laws had a personal drug relation, and unfortunately for him, he so happened to get involved with that crack house mister Howard home. He was running like a crack enterprise and he had some individual sell from the porch and he had Jamel Laws and sell from
the basement, and that created a rivalry. So when Jamel Lawson heard that Jamar was also peddling drugs out of what he deemed to be his enterprise because he had more drugs and he was the neighborhood drug dealer, an aggressor, he came there with another armed individual to confront mister Howard and Jamel lost and then his coht you know, robbed everybody.
This scenario that you just painted is given me like anxiety just thinking about it. You have the two different guys showing up at the same time, one of them brings another guy with him in this drug den, there's all sorts of different tensions. There's a competition for the drug trade at the time. There's money that's owed, there's guns. There's the woman who's almost certainly high at the time.
And the record reflects that she smoked crack cocaine fifteen minutes prior to the actual murderers up.
You know, I can remember being drunk or high at different times, but how high do you have to be to mix up whether or not somebody shot a shotgun into the ceiling.
That was one of the statements that was made. Remember I was the guy allegedly with the shotgun, But she had told a different officer at the time, Sergeant Mandela, that the guy who fired the shotgun in the air, he turned and he shot mister Howard and the guy.
Was named Mellow.
This is a whole other different version of events in regards to what happened in one. Like you said, never was no shotgun fired in the ceiling, nor was mister Howard killed from a shotgun from his back. Now, mind you. Lena Laws also said that she don't know one gun from another. However, when it come to find out it's no shotgun in the ceiling, she said, oh no, he didn't fire it. Stinkthdened fire. Terrence didn't fire it. He
racked it. So my lawyer was smart enough and wise enough to say, well, where did you learn the term rat, because prior to that you believe he fired it, right, She said, yeah, yeah, I learned the term rat from the detectives. This is all in the record. This is in the trial transcripts.
Yeah. So they just scripted it like a play. They gave her the lines to say, and she said them exactly.
So it's obvious that she lied. But we don't know the details in regards to why or to what extent the Philadelphia Police Department to hersty but we do know for effect they help her piece together a story. Why, we don't know, I mean, other than to close the case.
Over the summer of nineteen ninety seven, so this is sometime after the crime police arrested Jamar Gladden, who was nineteen and Jamel Lawson, who was twenty two, And the investigation grew cold after that until an anonymous tip came into the Pennsylvania Crime Commission and that's where you got wrapped up in at seventeen years old. Somebody called in and said that you were sometimes known by the nickname
of Stink, and you were arrested. Now this is almost a year and a half after the crime on December twentieth of nineteen ninety seven. Had you ever been known as Stink?
My grandma there said as a child, I used to stink my diaper. So this those thinks think, but yeah, I was. That was my name. So the police say, you know what, Jamar knows a guy named Stink as well. And that's how I was involved because they said, well, hey, Terrence, he knows Jamar Gladden. So if he's from amongst that neighborhood, and if he knows of individuals that do wrong, then he is an evil seed himself. And it was an open shed case for the Philadelphia Police Department.
It took a lot of people to sort of go along with this, and any one of them could have stood up and said, wait a minute, this doesn't make any damn sense. Why are we listening to this woman? And do you have an anonymous tip that maybe or maybe not you were called stink? But was there any other evidence connecting you to this crime?
No other evidence whatsoever. My life hinged on testimony of admitted crack user who was high literally fifteen moments before it happened. But in addition to that, like you know, we can't forget, what added to, you know, my wrong incarceration The fact that at that time, Jason, the culture of Philadelphia DA Office as well as police department, it was the war on drugs. They was at war. They was at war, so I became a casualty of war.
The evidence pointed to something other, but generally speaking, the Philadelphia Police department it was getting over time to solve cases. And the more cases they saw, the more overtime they get, so it made sense to flip cases quicker. And this was what they did up until this day, what we witnessing now. I was poor, I was it was nothing. I was a peon, I was black. I can be discarded, But forgive me for dropping off. Like I said, I getting emotional when I think of how they just destroyed
my life you know, growing up in the projects. I remember how the police used to swarm the neighborhood drug dealers and beat them senseless. There was no cameras at that time. When they left after they got finished kicking a hole and they were trying to kick a hole in the head, they just sometimes they wrest them and sometimes they used to just leave him here. And I said that to say, because I used to witness this,
you know, a couple of times a week. And you know, Jason, this was the way and culture at that time of the Philadelphia Police Department. If they wasn't bashing the guys heads in, then they was definitely penny cases on them and locking them up. So when I look back in retrospect, all I can do now still is to shake my head. And when I look, you know, at what's going on around us with George Floyd. This has it's been going
on forever, you know. Mind you A whole case was manufactured against me at the age of seventeen and spent twenty one years of my life. So this is why I want to tell my story now.
The arrests happened, and the charges are extremely serious. Lawson and Gladden were both charged with first degree murder, armed robbery, and criminal conspiracy, and you were charged with second degree murder, arm robbery, and criminal conspiracy.
When my attorney came to visit me, he only visited me twice doing this, and again I was facing second degree murder and I already been sitting, I believe for seventeen maybe nineteen months at the county jail, and I got a whole case. They said that I was there and I racked the shot and said when myway finally came to see me one of the two times, he said, hey, look they got nothing on you. And I'm letting them know, like yet this is made up. This lady is lying,
He says. The defense were going to show that, with all her numerous inconsistencies, that this is impossible. Whichever version of jury so choose to believe. So okay, fine, and.
They put you all on trial together in May of nineteen ninety nine. Basically you had a snowballs chance in hell of proving your innocence.
That's where the monkey wrench came in, I believe, is that they tried me, you know, I mean with Jamal Lawson. They had it right with one of the guys. You know what I mean that he was actually there. He was a drug dealer. You know what I mean, he was the trigger man.
The state's case, and this is important, rested entirely on the testimony of his laws at trials. She identified you, Glad and Lawson as the three arm and that entered the home to settle the drug debt with Hulan Howard. Initially, again she had said that the shotgun was carried by Stink, was fired into the ceiling and then used to kill Howard.
Then at this point she changed her account of events, You holding the shotgun, loading the shotgun shell but not firing, and then she fingered lost and with a handgun as to shoot her. I mean, she couldn't keep her gun straight, her story straight, her people straight. And she also testified that the three of you had sold cocaine from the home for the fifty days leading up to the shooting.
Now again this is important, right, no weapons were ever recovered and no forensic evidence linked you to this scene. But nonetheless, on May twenty fourth and nineteen ninety nine, all of you were saying to life in prison without parole, what the hell was that? Like? I mean, here you are You're still a kid?
Right, Yeah, I'm still a kid. I'm still a kid reliving. That is definitely troublesome, to say the least. I'm sitting there. The verdict came down guilty, guilty of all charges, second degree murder, and it's like like my soul, my soul had lifted out of my body, like my soul had hovered because I knew for being in the county for seventeen months or I think it was nineteen excuse me. One of the two that I seen guys, they was
just sending them away. This is why now due to the rushing of the DA office with the Conviction Integrity Unit, Miss Patricia Cummins, you know, she's right in a lot of wrongs, I seen a lot of individuals go to jail for life, literally for crimes that they didn't commit. Right once they said guilty, I knew that I had an uphill battle. I knew I had an uphill battle.
So nineteen months in jail and that's just jail before the trial, and then of course twenty one and a half years in prison. Can you explain to us, though Terrence jail in prison, what was life like in the jail, first of all as a teenager and then spending you know, really half your life in prison.
Yeah, and thank you too for that, Jason, because it's definitely a difference. When I was in jail during the nineteen months, it was the most miserable time of my life. My son was my son was just born. I had to watch, you know, all them sunny days, true sunny days. They would gloomy for me, especially after, like I said, witness and everybody else be railroaded, anticipating like then, what is my fate as a child like you said I was,
You know, I was a kid by then. I was nineteen years old, you know, never had a brush in with the law. I ain't. No, I ain't know nothing from nothing. I ain't and I didn't. I ain't know who to trust in there, you know. And I was facing a life sentence, and I was taken away from you know, my son, I was taking away from my family, taking away from my mother. I was just empty. That was jail. That's the best way I can describe jail.
When I went to prison. After I went in prison, they already put a hole in my heart, taking me away from my baby boy, you know, when I went to prison. Yeah, it was jail put a hole in my heart. Prison took it, took it. Prison took it, and it could have destroyed me, but it didn't. You know, I still have a level of grease with me. But the trauma and the experience of prison, you can't google that for me to be able to tell it to where you can actually fill me and relate. It was
every negative emotion that you can possibly think of. I experienced it in prison, you know, true, true resentment, true anger. They were real emotions that I was introduced to in prison, you know, because of the people, you know, staff of you know, see out here, we have police in prison, they called CEOs, but they are police. Same thing goes on what goes on out here, and I had to navigate through that at a young age. So yeah, I guess I'm not an average Joe because there isn't like
a layer of my soul. It desensitized me to a lot. But due to my natural disposition, I am who I am, you know before I got here and before I went in there, you know. So that's what prison was. It was a horrible experience. Damn prison.
I'm glad you brought that up because I've been saying anybody that will listen that while we are all experiencing the same anger and grief and outrage at these killings that we see on video, the George Floyd's and all the others, we can't forget that there's all the other ones that are taking place behind the walls, and that
we can't see those they're not on video. But we know that approximately five thousand people die in our jails in prisons in America every year, and not a lot of those are from old age.
I remember working the Mr Shop maintenance repair shot. This is when I was at sci Pittsburgh and the jail was closing down two thousand and four, and it was a box of photos. It's a box of photos and I'm cleaning this out, so I'm looking at I'm looking at a box to see what it is. It could be anything, you know. I want to see how heavy it is. And it was a bunch of pictures. It was Polaroid pictures, pictures from back in the day, the eighties, pictures from
the seventies. Was a box and all these photos were pictures of dead bodies. I can't make this ship up. Well, it was pictures of dead bodies either with some sheets wrapped around their net as if they hung themselves. I don't know. I wasn't there, right, so maybe they did, maybe they didn't. I don't know, although I'm just telling you what I've seen. I seen the sheets wrapped around these guys. Next, of course, you know there were pictures, you know. I mean, we're all types of wounds, you know,
some stab wombs and stuff like that. But a lot of that from the history with the institutions, the penitentiaries, you know, which some of the guys in there called the modern day plantations, right, and they got an argument to stand on with calling it that that there. Jason just reminded me of it. Yeah, them holes in them individuals wasn't due to old age. And the sheets wrapped around their neck wasn't due to old age, you know.
And I remember when I was there, the guards, it was like some back in the day Colosmo type stuff. The guards, if they didn't like you, they ain't like I'm glad I navigated successfully through that experience that I went through. If the guards ain't like you, and you was a smart ass, he was hard up. They pay someone give them extra whatever, extra pisa to do what
I've seen on those pictures. I know for a fact because when I was there, the guards were still you know, from amongst their culture, their tradition, that they wanted some entertainment and they ain't like a guy or they'd put his case out there. This guy raped such and such, this guy did this, and they're turn a blind eye and the guys that get I'm talking about the work that was. I seen a guy get his head split wide open with a lock and sock. You'd be amazed
at what a lock and sock can do. So, yeah, Jason, you're right. This is the stuff that goes on behind them walls that falls on the deaf ears out here. Up until now with the recent injustice that's being exposed.
It's a slow moving tragedy, disaster, human rights catastrophe that you know, we treat people behind bars as if they're not human. In fact that as soon as they get arrested, you become something else other than just a regular person.
And mind you, this is nothing new. You know, if you trace it back the origin of what's now mass incarceration, it go all the way back to you know, the Black Colds, and convict lease. And you know, slavery then literally it morphed, you know it morphed or it was given a different name, but arose by any other name is still a rose. The thirteenth Amendment made an exception to the rule. The rule is that slavery has been abolished, with the exception if you was duly convicted of a crime.
And although you know, in my case, I wasn't duly convicted. I was wrongfully convicted of crime. But to made it to model. But the colds, the black colds, you know, which are now on the mandatory sentences, the draconial policies, you know, I mean, that's still in place. That's literally designed to keep and to entrap free labor. And I worked for nineteen cents an hour for twenty one and a half years, and I had to fly straight, of course, you know, that's who I was as a person, regardless
of my circumstances. But yeah, nineteen son and hour, I worked for that. And had I didn't, you know, I would have been penalized for that. What do that sound like? And if I ain't, like, you know, the first level of punishment could have got bad. It would have got bad.
Yeah, that's it. That's exactly nineteen cents away from free. So nineteen cents an hour is for lack of a better well, no, let's just call it slave labor. Let's talk about it, this crazy appellent process. Try to follow along with this and imagine you being in Terrence's shoes for this insane journey I'm about to take you through.
So January two thousand and two, the first petition is filed under the Pennsylvania Post Conviction Review Act for inadequate council because Terrence's attorney failed to call the officer who took Law's initial statement that contradicted her trial testimony. I mean, you know a pre law student would know to do that. Okay. It was dismissed in two thousand and three, and the appeal was rejected in two thousand and four, and the
Supreme Court refused any further appeal in two thousand and five. Okay, Now we go to September two thousand and five. Second petition on the inadequate council because the attorney failed to investigate alibi witnesses. The petition was also based on a signed affidavit by Jamara Gladden admitting his presence at the crime scene and denying Terrence's involvement. That should be enough. Oh okay, sorry, Terrence wild a state. I'm talking about
Jews if you're not here. But Terrence filed a state havevious corpus petition days after that second petition, but the havieas was put on hold while the petition was being pursued. March two thousand and six, now, Terrence's younger sister was working at a bar called the Jack of Heart's Lounge. This is amazing. She struck up a conversation with a patron named Kizzie Baker, who happened to be on the street that night and witnessed the three men leaving Howard's
house after hearing a gunshot. Incredible. Baker knew Terrence and said that he was not one of the three men. And Terrence had a lawyer now who filed an the mended state petition for a new trial. It was dismissed, though as untimely filed. A technical whatever you want to call it, right, a procedural problem right there has nothing to do with guilty of it's posidual. But the nile was upheld anyway on appeal because why let justice get
in the way of a procedural error anyway. Then an attorney named David was appointed to represent Terrence in his federal Habeas Corpus petition, with a signed after David from Jamel Lawson saying that the first time he ever met they ever met was at the trial. So I mean, now things are getting like it's just mounting. So on April twenty ninth, two thousand and nine, at the federal Habeas hearing, both Kissie Baker and Terrence's sister Tanisha Thornton testified.
Jamar Gladden also testified that he told his defense lawyer about Terrence, but was advised to keep that information to himself because it was an admission of kuilt. March twenty ten, Magistrate Wells denied the petition on get ready procedural grounds, and I'm quoting now, based upon credible testimony, the court believes that Lewis may not have been present at or participated in the tragic events of August sixth, nineteen ninety six.
He may be actually innocent end quote, And Magistrate Wells went on to say that it was quote unquote frustrating to have to recommend to the US district judge assigned to the case that Lewis's petition be denied frustrating.
That's how she felt, right, oh wow, Right.
So meanwhile, you're still sitting there in prison and just you know, trying to stay alive. And then in June twenty ten, US District Judge Burl Schiller accepted the magistrate's recommendation and denied the habeas petition. But now comes the turning point. This is where that starts to be a little light at the end of the tunnel, but it
was really a long tunnel. And what I'm talking about is in June twenty twelve, the US Supreme Court decided Miller versus Alabama, holding that the mandatory imposition of life without parole for juvenile convicted of murder was unconstitutional. The legendary Brian Stevenson argued that case Terrence was seventeen at the time of the murder, so it fit into this, you know, into this group.
However, at first, when Miller came out, mind you, it wasn't retroactive in my state, so that wasn't nothing that you know, I could depend on. Miller versus Alibama was not applied retroactively until twenty sixteen when Montgomery versus. Louisiana came out. You know, I was real appreciative that I fell amongst that class that now I don't have to entertain the thought that perhaps I gotta die in jail. Pennsylvania in order to get the benefits of the Miller
Versus Alabama ruined. I had to withdrew my innocent claims as well as you gotta have to make up a story now and concede into our narrative in order for you to get paroleed. I didn't have it in me mentally. I couldn't wrap my head around that. So I'm like, damn, I might gotta do an extra ten years until you really see that. No, I'm standing on my principal. I'm standing on the truth. So twenty sixteen came. I seen a lot of guys who I helped raise go home
for crimes that they actually committed. They committed their crimes. So I had to tussle with the fact that I had to concede to a lie. That's what the system was accing from me, as opposed to honoring what the evidence had already been pointing to since day one. Right. So twenty sixteen, I was convinced to withdraw my innocent claims. I was going to court to get resentenced, and that strategically we can refile when I'm home on the streets and the deal will be twenty to life. This is
the sentence as an innocent man. This is what I had to rejoice upon. So I signed on to have the twenty the life. However, when we went to the re sentence and hearing, and again I gotta highlight this fact, Jason, it wasn't the system that got it right. It was a lone judge, Judge Barbara McDermott, being honorable, having some nobility.
She's seen the order of Judge Wells, my magistrate judge, and the adoption of the District Court saying that I was innocent, and she refused despite whatever draconial policy was in place. She was uncomfortable with moving forward with my resentencing. She said, I'm not resentencing you. What sentence is appropriate to give to an innocent man. So my resentencing hearing
had turned into an exoneration hearing. It was a blessing, literally, like I feel as though the heavens literally was cracked open, and I was shockered, you know what I mean with
unlimited blessings that day because just so happened. Barbara McDermott had got in touch with the supervisor of the Conviction Integrity Unit down at the Philadelphia District Attorney Office, Patricia Cummings, and they had already completed their investmenttigation, but due to the procedural hurdles of the law, they felt as though they couldn't do anything until after my resentence, because remember the goal now on the mission was just to get
Terrence home and then we had figured everything else out later.
What was it that the CiU found in their investigation?
They had at the request of my attorney, David leje and Kevin Harten, they came across documents which was called sixt year Street Notes, and there was an interview of Lionel Laws wherein she had told the Philadelphia Police Department that the guy who she believed to be the perpetrator, and this was literally days after the crime occurred, that his name was Hakeem Sadai Mohammet. And not only did she stop there, she was very descriptive and he had an ankle bracelet on and he drove a blue car.
Now one, my name is not Kim today, Muhammad. I never ever in life prior to this, had a brushing with the law. So I never was on house arrest or, I never wore an ankle bracelet, and nor did I ever own a blue car. So once the CiU seeing this document among others, they being honorable being who they are, exhubing nothing but integrity, they turned this over to my defense team, which we know for a fact everyone who has a legal eye or air or understanding this was
a clear brad eviolation. This right here could have been the piece of evidence, not that I needed it, you know, to prove that the witness you know, was lying and that she was conhearsed to make up a story for whatever reasons to this day we don't know, you know. But nonetheless, stink is today, Mohammed.
What was that moment like when the judge said you're innocent.
When Judge Barbara McDermott turned and she looked me in my eyes and said I was innocent. You are a free man, so you are free to go. I'm still feeling the echo of her words, those particular words, that phrase she used, you are free to go. You are free.
Man.
I'm still feeling, you know, the vibration in my heart and in my soul and my blood stream to be able to step out of them doors. It was surreal, Jason. You know that was just a little over a year ago, you know, so I'm still appreciating and witnessing and then
feeling the effects of walking out after being confined. A mountain had lifted off of my shoulders, you know, despite the fact the world that I had came home to after a couple of months later, you know, it was falling apart COVID as well as what has taken place with the George Floyd, the feelings from a year from from coming from captivity for twenty one and a half years. That's a long time, my friend. That's a long time because each year it's like compounded when you're behind that wall.
So you know, a year out here, and I'm just telling from experience, this year went past so fast. I've been home a year.
Year.
This year won passed so fast. But in there a year is like freaking ten years.
First of all, yeah, it's been It's hard to believe it's only been a year since I read that article on the newspaper and it's been, you know, a real blessing for me to get to know you. And we had some microwives, some good meals together and stuff as
we have, and they're gonna have a lot more. And now I'm really really happy to announce that as we're recording this now, just a couple of days ago, a few days ago, Terrence filed a civil suit against the detectives and the City of Philadelphia last year, and just a few days ago, as we're talking now, they settled the suit for six point two five million dollars. And amen to that, I mean, you deserve more.
I'm still allowing it to register that I am now well off. I'm privileged. I'm privileged, and I'm gonna be able to live a comfortable, secure life. I don't know what that looked like, so I got an idea. So yeah, I'm still processing this because you know, I'm still high, for lack of a better term, with this euphoria off my exoneration just being home period. So now not only am I a free man, I'm a wealthy free man.
I'm a free man. So the new found gift that I have received, as far as this restitution this compensation, this gift. And I say that because after going through my journey, I literally can say everything that has come my way Jason is in fact a blessing slash a gift from the heavens above man, because you know, my cries felled on death, ears from amongst you know, mankind,
so all I everything was taken from me. Everything. The only thing that I did have was you know, my belief and my faith that it got to get better than this, God Almighty. That's the only thing that I had to cope with to continue on, you know, and navigating, you know, through the trials and the tribulations and all the adversities that I underwent. Like I said, my tests
and trials started very early in life. So that's why I attributed as a blessing a gift that the city is our agent of where the actual gift came from, God Almighty.
Regular listeners of our show have come to, I think expect at the part of the show that I always talk about how much I enjoy, which is our closing arguments,
And this is where I turned my microphone off. First, I'll thank you Terrence Lewis for taking your time out to be here with us you and I'm going to make a special request, and I've never done this before, but as you take us through the closing arguments, which is just the final thoughts on any topic you want, I'm going to specifically ask if you wouldn't mind if you could talk about the work that you're doing now, which I think is so meaningful and it's going to
help so many other wrongfully convicted people. And we're going to put a link so you can follow Terrence's work and get involved in helping others through his incredible new organization, which I am a proud supporter of. By the way, there'll be a link in the episode description. Go to the link, click on it, Join.
Us absolutely, and I thank you again, my friend, thank you. Since I've been home, and let me put it in this context real quick, I've been locked up for seven eight hundred and twenty three days, and since I've been home, which has been over a little over three hundred and sixty five days, I was successful in establishing the Liberation Foundation.
And the Liberation Foundation is a nonprofit organization which is aimed at helping navigate through the legal system, provide advocacy work as well as support work for those who have been wrongfully convicted and those who are subjugated and under a disproportionate sentence. My belief is because of what I experienced, because of what I've had seen with my own truthful eyes. I believe in the model. The mantra is that when
you know better, you do better. So, based upon sincerity I have, as well as those who share my belief, we have a moral obligation to right wrongs and be courageous and be sincere and say what we mean and mean what we say and be sincere about it. So I ask that I get the support and help from anyone who wants to be involved in supporting the Liberation Foundation, and we can be founded at Tlawsfoundation dot com. Is
advocacy work for those who have been wrongfully convicted. The primary goal is to secure freedom and justice for those innocent. They deserve liberation as well.
Don't forget to give us a fantastic review wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps. And I'm a proud donor to the Innocence Project, and I really hope you'll join me in supporting this very important cause and helping to prevent future wrongful convictions. Go to Innocence Project dot org to learn how to donate and get involved. I'd like to thank our production team, Connor Hall and Kevin Wartis. The music in the show is by three time OSCAR
nominated composer Jay Ralph. Be sure to follow us on Instagram at Wrongful Conviction and on Facebook at Wrongful Conviction Podcast. Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flamm is a production of Lava for Good Podcasts and association with Signal Company Number one