Richard Jones spent 17 years in prison for a robbery he didn’t commit. Despite having an alibi—including his girlfriend—he was convicted based solely on one eyewitness ID. No fingerprints or physical evidence linked him to the crime.
Desperate, Jones reached out to the Midwest Innocence Project. Their investigation revealed a shocking twist: another man, Ricky Lee Amos, who looked nearly identical to Jones, lived near the scene. When shown photos years later, the eyewitness couldn’t tell them apart.
With this new evidence, Jones’ conviction was overturned. He walked free on June 8, 2017, and later received $1.1 million under a new law for the wrongfully convicted. “I hoped and prayed every day for this,” he said—a reminder that justice, though delayed, can still be served.
