In March of 1987, a female University of Alabama student was returning to her apartment in Tuscaloosa, AL, when she was attacked by a masked man who raped her and stole her car keys and bank card. The woman’s abandoned car was later located, and a witness reported seeing a man emerge from it some time earlier. This witness’s singular identification of 23 year old Jeffrey Holemon, who had been in jail on an unrelated, nonviolent charge, led to Jeffrey’s conviction and life sentence. 

Beth is an award-winning journalist and writer based in Birmingham, AL. Her work has been published by The Los Angeles Times, The Bitter Southerner, The Daily Beast and Facing South. Beth was a 2019 Writing for Justice Fellow with Pen America and has done extensive reporting on Alabama prisons. Before her focus on criminal justice issues, she spent 20 years working as a TV news anchor and reporter.

Beth and Jeffrey had never met before, but with Beth’s connection to Alabama, Beth found Jeffrey’s case and was immediately taken. Beth found it remarkable that the DNA evidence from Jeffrey’s appeals was a result of his own pro se litigation efforts. Litigation filed pro se, or ‘on one’s own behalf,’ is often discounted by courts, and it is an incredible accomplishment for an individual to gain any traction as a result of pro se motions.

To learn more and get involved, visit: 

https://www.kairosprisonministry.org/kairos-inside-prison-ministry.php

This episode is part of a special series in our Wrongful Conviction podcast feed of 15 episodes focused on individual cases of wrongful incarceration, guest hosted by formerly incarcerated returning citizens and leading criminal justice advocates, award-winning journalists and progressive influencers.

Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.