7/7 Ricky Lee Webb is now one of the longest-serving exonerees in U.S. history. Today, we celebrate his resilience and the tireless work of those who fought for his freedom. Happy Freedom Anniversary, Ricky!

6/7 In August 2024, TIP presented this evidence. Judge Roy Morgan, Jr. overturned Ricky’s conviction, quoting Dr. King: “An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Ricky was formally exonerated on Halloween 2024.

5/7 TIP also found that Carl Ray had schizophrenia and had been coerced into testifying. The TBI used racist threats against both him and Ricky’s alibi witness, forcing her to change her story.

4/7 Decades later, in 2021, Ricky wrote to the Tennessee Innocence Project. TIP uncovered hundreds of pages of suppressed evidence, including Carl Ray’s detailed confession that he acted alone.

3/7 Carl Ray took a plea deal 18 months later and testified against Ricky. His unreliable testimony was the only evidence at trial. Ricky, with no criminal record, offered five alibi witnesses. Still, he was convicted by an all-white jury.

2/7 In 1976, a 29-year-old mother was raped and murdered in Milan, TN. Seventeen-year-old Carl Ray Webb was arrested and later implicated his uncle, Ricky, despite no physical evidence linking him to the crime.

7/7- We celebrate Eric’s freedom and the resilience he showed through decades of wrongful imprisonment. And we continue our fight for those still behind bars. Every story like Eric’s underscores why TIP’s work matters. 💙 www.tninnocence.org/newsreleases...

6/7- Eric’s release coincides with International Wrongful Conviction Day, a day to honor the wrongfully convicted worldwide and raise awareness about the causes and consequences of these injustices.

5/7- Today, Eric is reunited with his family after nearly four decades apart. This is a moment of freedom he fought tirelessly for, and one that reminds us of the human cost of wrongful convictions.

4/7- Eric Wright never gave up hope, as his attorney, TIP Legal Director Jessica Van Dyke, emphasizes: “Eric is a man of faith, and he did not give up that hope that one day the truth of his innocence would be heard. I am incredibly excited to see what Eric does next with his freedom.”

3/7- For decades, Eric maintained his innocence. In 2024, TIP petitioned for fingerprint testing on evidence from the crime scene. The results identified one of the actual perpetrators—someone with no connection to Eric.

2/7 - Eric was arrested in 1989 for a Memphis robbery and assault with intent to murder. Convicted in 1990, his case relied solely on a single, flawed eyewitness ID. No physical evidence linked him to the crime.

6/6- Microscopic hair comparison may be history, but its impact lives on in the lives it upended. ⚖️

DNA now guides justice, but these lessons remind us why rigorous science and the investigative efforts of the Tennessee Innocence Project matters.

#ForensicScience #TNInnocence

5/6- As a result, DNA evidence has become the gold standard in forensic science, rendering techniques like microscopic hair comparison obsolete and unreliable for convicting suspects.

4/6- The use of flawed hair comparison led to numerous wrongful convictions, including the case of Santae Tribble, who spent 28 years wrongfully imprisoned before DNA evidence proved his innocence.

3/6- Hair comparison was never a foolproof method. Experts often claimed that hair samples "matched" without the use of conclusive scientific data, leading to wrongful convictions.

2/6- Microscopic hair analysis was based on subjective visual comparisons, lacking scientific accuracy and reproducibility. The FBI’s own review found that in 96% of cases, forensic experts gave erroneous testimony based on this method.

6/6 - Organizations nationwide work to bridge this gap, ensuring that scientific truth isn't reserved for those who can afford it. Justice should be based on evidence, not economics. #ScienceOfJustice #WrongfulConvictions #ForensicScience