Jimmy Dennis spent 25 years in prison after he was wrongfully convicted for the murder of a girl in Philadelphia. During those dark days, a Hamilton couple came across his case and their unwavering belief in his innocence helped free him.
Dennis’ execution date was set as he waited in solitary confinement for the lethal injection that would end his life. But after 25 years on death row his murder conviction was overturned.
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“Even though I knew I was going home. You feel like something’s going to happen because so many times your life has been topsy turvy,” Dennis said.
In 1992, Dennis was found guilty for robbing and murdering a 17-year-old girl at a bus stop in Philadelphia.
A federal judge reversed that ruling in 2013 saying it was a “grave miscarriage of justice” and that homicide detectives ignored or “covered up” evidence that proved he did not kill the teenager. In 2017, he was finally released from prison.
It was partly thanks to a partnership with a Hamilton couple who fought for his freedom for more than two decades.
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Dave Parkinson and Tracy Lamourie were young social justice advocates when they met Dennis on a prisoner pen pal site and he sent them all his legal information. Their Justice for Jimmy campaign became a lifeline transcending borders and igniting a crusade against capital punishment. A law firm took on his case pro bono.
“Tears are coming to my eyes just thinking about when he called from outside the prison. I literally had an explosion of emotion,” Lamourie said.
“We knew that if other people saw the details we saw they would concur this man has been wrongfully convicted,” Parkinson said.
After all the letters and the phone calls they finally met in person in 2023.
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In late April 2024, a jury awarded Dennis $16 million. According to local news outlets, it is the largest wrongful conviction payout in the City of Philadelphia’s history.
But, Dennis says the city has filed an appeal. The fight’s far from over, Dennis still doesn’t have the money he was awarded.
There’s only so much the payout can compensate for. Dennis’ dad died while he was in jail and his mom’s health deteriorated. He missed out on watching his daughters grow up and he’s in therapy for PTSD.
Dennis was also a rising R&B star before his wrongful conviction and he hopes that one day he can heal and get back to doing what he loves.