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Calvin Willis

Posted By The Editors | September 22nd, 2009 | Category: Exoneree of the Week | 12 comments Print This Post Print This Post
Calvin Willis

Calvin Willis

Six years ago this week, Calvin Willis raised his arms high above his head and walked out of a Louisiana prison, free for the first time in 21 years. Willis was wrongfully convicted of rape in 1982 and served more than two decades before DNA testing excluded him as the perpetrator. Watch a video of Calvin’s reunion with his friend and fellow exoneree Rickie Johnson.

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12 comments
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  1. richard willis January 17th, 2010 9:28 pm :

    I find it depressive that such miscarriages of justice can happen.
    Then for Louisiana not to compensate him for the lost life –
    that is beneatth contempt.
    Thank goodness for technological progress – dna testing.
    I dont know if the state attorrney is still practising law but they should have been removed as soon as the first case of wrongfull conviction was proven.
    Shame on louisiana for yet another exanple of what is little more than institutionalised racism.

  2. Bunny January 17th, 2010 10:23 pm :

    Just watched the Lifetime movie about his story and it was very touching. I am so thankful to God, just like his mama was that he was finally released. What a terrible shame he had to spend so much time and for something he didn’t do. I do wonder if his dear mama, or was it his grandma, is still with us…at the end when she was praising and thanking God in the movie, it made me cry. I am so thankful to the Lord that this man fianlly got his life back and I think that state owes him an apology, to say the least. God bless.

  3. ELIAS P FISHBURNE.IV January 18th, 2010 2:08 am :

    ALSO A VICTEM OF BEING WRONFULY ACCUSED IN MD .STORY COVERED BY WASHIGTON POST .

  4. Cassie January 18th, 2010 2:14 am :

    Hey Mr Willis I feel that u should sui the State of Lousiana 4 taking ur life. Black men have always been treated like this in Lousiana & Mississippi. Please sui the state 2 get ur money. I’m so happy 4 u I just watched ur movie that’s how I found out about this.

  5. Amanda January 18th, 2010 2:24 am :

    Wow I just watched the movie on life time and the hole movie i was on the edge of my chair. I am 18 years old and for some reason just HAD To see this movie! Wow I cryed, I laughed, I prayed!! I was amazed by these two strong people and family and community all came together to fight for the truth and all it took was ONE person to fight for the right thing to get a whole community to believe and help and know the REAL truth! If everyone could be more like these people and really fight for whats right, then maybe the world wouldn’t be so stresful and this definitly proves that. This is what I want to do with my life make a diffrence a change for the best for anyone who needs help, just can’t see kind people be hurt. So I’m struggling working at a little convient store making minum wage in this little rinky-dink town full of nothing but trouble! I’m one of the few females within 45 miles that’s 18 and hasn’t had a baby yet. I was looked down on my whole because of my mother. I’ve been raised by my grandparents thankfully, and they have had me sence birth. I choose alot of worng paths in my life and done alot of wrong things but I was always blessed to have someone to go back home to. My mother (my grandmother) has brest cancer and after surgery had a stroke, she didn’t even know who i was she layed there with tears rolling down her face trying, trying so hard to talk but couldn’t. Although she sum-what recovered she’s disabled for life. My grand father (my dad, because i dont know who my real father is) drinks alot and takes care of my mother. They are getting older in the years late 60’s. While taking care of them, and working evveryday, im paying for a brand new car, my own college well trying really hard to finishing but moneys tight around here there’s no work, I’m also trying to get my own appartment, finish school, so that I can adopt my baby sister move away after college and raise her the right way. I’ve always been looked at as the last in line, the bad one, and all I really ever wanted was to be loved and I was blind not to see it when i was growing up and i regret every bad thing ive ever said about my parents, but if i had to go threw what this man went threw I don’t think I could have fought that long and been in the mind frame he was in. This insipers me that the way that I’m going is the right way, and anyine trying to get in my way I need to find another way around it and to never quit trying. My parents have told me that before but looked past it being hard headed and a smart mouth, but when I changed my attitude to possitive and kept going no matter what stopped me (because we all know your never done when you think your done, there’s always something else) things started working out so much easyer and the feeling was incrediable. Thankyou so much Mrs.Prissy for fighting for the truth I wish everyone could be just like her!!! I loved this movie

  6. Veronica January 18th, 2010 10:17 pm :

    Did you ever got any money for being in prison for a crime that you did not comit?

  7. Barbara Donnelly January 19th, 2010 1:01 pm :

    My heart goes out, not only to this man, Calvin, but to all the others that are incarcerated without having enough evidence produced in court to properly defend them. It’s all about money……the lack of……and that’s an abomination of what the USA stands for. It not only ruins the life of the wrongfully convicted person, but the rest of the family as well. Our public defense system needs to be upgraded, where the attorneys can properly defend their clients. Fire some of our legislators, who sit by playing their political games, and get paid the big bucks, and use the monies to take care of our citizens. We ARE, afterall, the government. Of the people, by the people and for whom??????
    I wish I could have the chance to tell Calvin, and those like him how sorry I am that this has happened to them. Thank God for others, that Calvin is at least trying to right the wrongs!! But how many years does a person have to forfiet until then. There are too many for one person, or one organization to take care of. Why doesn’t our government open an organization itself, to right its own wrongs??? There’s an organization for everything else!!!
    I’m in hopes that Calvin actually reads these comments. Calvin, you’re a great person, and if it were in my power to give you back what you lost, I certainly would. I thank God that you’ve been released. And because of what you went through, you will help so many people like yourself. I think you’re just wonderful for making lemonade out of lemons, so to speak. Our world missed out on a lot too for 22 years!!!!!

  8. Wendy January 24th, 2010 12:55 am :

    I want to know did they find the “Luther” guy that was spoke of as the one who did it? And if so, was he ever charged????

  9. Jean January 25th, 2010 11:30 pm :

    First I would agree with alot of what Barbara mentioned in her artical .Calvin God bless you on your release and I pray that you are able to help others that are going through what you went through. The reason I am writting this article is because I’m going through the same thing since 1995 my friend has been sitting and praying for his release because of not having the money to have someone represent him on his rape case there is much to much to mention in this artical we have writting to many diffrent people for help all of these places are in Massachusetts, Testa,Hurwitz&Thibeault,LLP,Goodwin/Proctor, New England Innocence Projects and the ACLU He is now 71 years of age and they gave him a 2029 release time while the liers are out enjoying there lives they took his homes ,money , and bussiness equiptment, Well I’m going to close with a God bless you and we will continue to pray for his release also Why dose the poor always have to be put in the back even in the churches but we are always the ones to dig deep in our pockets to help first.

  10. Michelle Dalessio February 5th, 2010 1:57 am :

    Calvin I am so sorry for what happen to you.. I feel those that did not do there jobs to the fullest to prove you inocent should spend time behind bars and live what you endured for 22yrs! or at least be out of a job and stand in the bread line. I have a brother in Josephine County Grants Pass Oregon who had an unfair trial won his appeal after nearly 4 1/2yrs now he is having another trial in the same court house with the same prossecuter who is dirty and has a 97% conviction rate. The Dirty DA is Stephen Campbell.. it is a long storey and I need your help I can not fight this DA on my own. Please contact me and help me.. I am so happy for you and I would like to leave you with a quote from Doctor King: Where ever there is an injustice anywhere, It is a threat to justice everywhere… I don’t know you but I love you and I am so happy for you Calvin.

  11. Yolanda Legate February 5th, 2010 2:32 am :

    I thank my Lord for your release, for the wonderful people he put in your path, to help and pray, when everyone else had given up on you. Thank you Jesus! My husband was given a 99 year sentence for a murder he didn’t commit, has served 11 years to date. There was no blood, or gun shot residue on his hands or clothing. The state prosecutor misled the jury to believe that the Gun Shot Residue test was “indeterminate” when it was in fact “negative.” She stated that because it was indeterminate, they would not admit it into evidence. My husband didn’t find out until after his sentencing that the test had come back “negative” eventhough he knew it had to have been because he did not commit this crime. The state prosecutor hid a key witness that could have proved my husband’s innocence and didn’t allow the testimony of his alibi witness. My husband was at the crime scene, looking for a lady to repossess a vehicle, the lady was interviewed by the district attorney’s investigator and upon seeing my husbands name on the subpoena, she said “he didn’t do it.” The memo the PI gave to the prosecutor, was never presented to the defense, but was later found in the DA’s file when my husband hired his appellant attorney to investigate the prosecutors file. We consider both the GSR test and the memo to be exculpatory evidence, but since this was a high profile case , we can’t seem to get anyone to help us out. It seems that people are afraid to expose those that maliciously, wrongfully convicted my husband. I pray you read this story of ours and contact me if you know of anyone that will help. May the Lord continue blessing your life, with all of His goodness.

  12. Stefanie March 12th, 2010 (2 days ago) 1:27 pm :

    everytime your story comes on lifetime i watch it over & over because i dont understand how they left you in jail that long with out trying to do a dna test & i think that it was very unfair & im so rorry that you had to suffer for something you didnt do for all those years and being away from yuor children but god is god and im glad to no that you can finally enjoy your summer and wintery days home with the ones your love

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