Kerry Robinson - Freed After 18 Years
A personal fundraiser by
Georgia Innocence ProjectHelp Kerry rebuild his life 18 years after being wrongfully convicted of a crime he didn't commit.
$4,200
raised by 60 people
$7,500 goal
COVID-19 UPDATE
Kerry is fortunate that he has a supportive and loving family to welcome him home, and his family and GIP have been helping him to rebuild his life ever since his exoneration. So far, Kerry has connected with needed resources, secured a construction job, and enrolled in trade school.Â
However, due to the COVID-19 crisis, his schooling has been postponed and his employment is tenuous. He of course has no savings, no car, and no long resume to impress employers. He needs help in this very challenging time to get back on his feet.
 Your gift to Kerry Robinson through this private fundraiser will help him manage basic living expenses in this difficult time and save up to purchase a car. Your gift will better position him to handle threats posed by COVID-19, and to commence trade school when the global pandemic restrictions lift. Your support will help Kerry access the resources he needs to further rebuild his life. Thank you so much for your support!
At approximately 3:30 p.m. on January 8, 2020, Kerry walked out of Coffee Correctional Facility a free man, 18 years after being wrongfully convicted of a rape that he did not commit.
The move to free Kerry followed litigation initiated by the Georgia Innocence Project and co-counsel Rodney Zell based upon new, exonerating DNA results obtained by DNA scientist Dr. Greg Hampikian. That new DNA evidence helped show that Mr. Robinson is innocent of the 1993 rape and robbery of a woman in her home. He was accused of being one of three perpetrators, armed with a long-barreled gun. Â Mr. Robinson's wrongful conviction was based entirely on an incentivized cooperator and faulty forensic expert testimony. But thanks to your support and GIP's diligent work on his case (along with co-counsel Rodney Zell), he is now free.Â
âModern DNA technology has further confirmed what weâve known for a long time: Kerry Robinson is an innocent man,â said Rodney Zell, co-counsel in Robinsonâs case. âI am so grateful that new technology is finally able to meet the incredibly high thresholds for righting wrongful convictions in Georgia. Itâs been a long fight and we wish Kerryâs mother were here to see this day. We are overjoyed to see Kerry coming home after all these years.â Â
________________________________________________________________________
Exoneration and freedom is wonderful, but is by no means the end of the wrongful conviction story. Exonerees like Kerry, struggling with the trauma of wrongful imprisonment, are left on their own - with virtually no support from the state - to recover and rebuild their lives. Indeed, upon Kerry's release, the State of Georgia gave him $25 to assist in his travel home, and nothing else.Â
In Georgia, there is no statutory right to compensation for the years an innocent person spent wrongfully imprisoned before exoneration. Though a legislator can sponsor a private bill for compensation, that must be filed at the end of a calendar year, and it is an inconsistent and unpredictable process. Â
 With that in mind, we at the Georgia Innocence Project have decided to share this fundraiser as one way to help Kerry get back on his feet.
As such, ALL funds raised on this MightyCause fundraiser will go directly to Kerry Robinson and are not tax-deductible.
If you have any questions or concerns about this, please feel free to contact Mike Coszalter at Georgia Innocence Project (404) 373-4433. Â
A personal fundraiser by
Georgia Innocence Project