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Ghost of the Innocent Man: A True Story of Trial and Redemption

Benjamin Rachlin (Goodreads Author)

4.36 · Rating details · 425 ratings · 94 reviews

"A crisply written page turner."-NPR

During the last two decades, more than two thousand American citizens have been wrongfully convicted. Ghost of the Innocent Man brings us one of the most dramatic of those cases and provides the clearest picture yet of the national scourge of wrongful conviction and of the opportunity for meaningful reform.

When the final gavel clapped i ...more

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Hardcover, 387 pages

Published August 15th 2017 by Little, Brown and Company

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· 425 ratings · 94 reviews

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Sep 10, 2017 Julie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2017, e-book, non-fiction, overdrive, true-crime, history

Ghost of the Innocent Man: A True Story of Trial and Redemption by Benjamin Rachlin is a 2017 Little, Brown and Co. Publication.

"Our dangers do not lie in too little tenderness to the accused. Our procedure has been always haunted by the ghost of the Innocent man convicted. It is an unreal dream.”

This is an astounding nonfiction accounting of a Willie J. Grimes’ wrongful conviction in 1988, the beginning of ‘The Innocence Project’, and the long, hard fought battle to free an innocent man of a ...more

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Mar 09, 2018 ♥ Sandi ❣ rated it liked it

Shelves: bio-auto-memior, cultural, non-fiction, true-crime-or-based-on, 4-library, closed-5000-books-2018, prison

3.75 stars

This non-fiction book deals with the bad conviction of Willie "Woot" Grimes in 1988 for the rape of an elderly white woman in North Carolina. Grimes, a black man, had plenty of alibis for the time frame of the crime, but the prosecution chose to go on the ever changing eye witness testimony of the victim, who was also unable to recognize the alleged perpetrator's picture. Willie was incarcerated from 1988 until his release in 2012 for a crime he did not commit.

DNA was not available i 3.75 stars

This non-fiction book deals with the bad conviction of Willie "Woot" Grimes in 1988 for the rape of an elderly white woman in North Carolina. Grimes, a black man, had plenty of alibis for the time frame of the crime, but the prosecution chose to go on the ever changing eye witness testimony of the victim, who was also unable to recognize the alleged perpetrator's picture. Willie was incarcerated from 1988 until his release in 2012 for a crime he did not commit.

DNA was not available in 1988. Once the victim mentioned a mole on the perpetrators face - however never sure which side of the face it was on - prosecutors never looked any further than Willie. He had a mole on his face. Fruit was missing from a bowl in Carrie Elliott's kitchen, with an apple core and a banana skin thrown on the ground outside her apartment. Those were never collected for fingerprinting, nor was the bowl where the fruit came from. Prosecution claimed a single hair belonged to Willie - one hair among the 80 collected in Elliott's bedroom - and with DNA not established yet there could be no positive identification of a hair. These are just skimming the surface of the bad crime scene investigation and the supposed evidence that was used against Willie Grimes at his trial.

Willie spent the next 18 years exhausting appeals and trying to prove his innocence. Until his file fell into the hands of Chris Mumma and Kendra Montgomery-Blinn in 2006. It was through the development of the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission that Willie gained his freedom, six long years later. It was through their exhaustive efforts and DNA - which had started to be used in trials in 1989, one year after Willies conviction, that finally set him free and convicted the rightful assailant of the Carrie Elliott rape, Albert Turner.

Many states have Innocence Projects now. But in 2012 there were only 97 people exonerated in the US. By 2015 there were over 1700 exonerated, with at least one in every state. By the time this book was published in March of 2017 the number had passed 2000 and today exoneration's are adding up weekly. It is thought that many many innocent men and women have be executed before their files could be studied and their evidence reevaluated.

Between mistaken eye witness testimony, bad crime scene evaluation and evidence collecting, thousands of DNA samples wasting away in evidence boxes, the total loss of evidence, bad police work, crooked police and prosecution, overworked or under experienced defense attorneys, the lack of money, and not having a good strong alibi anyone, absolutely anyone, can be arrested for a crime. That is scary. That is reality.

Parts of this book read like a novel, parts were much more dry. You know going in that Willie Grimes was exonerated. However reading the facts of his story and trying to come to terms with him losing 24 years of his life kept you reading. The fear that it could be you or a loved one pushes you to try to glean every single possible thing from this book that you can in hopes that if - if - it ever happens to you or to a loved one that you will have some basis of understanding to help guide and absolve you from something you never even did. ...more

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Aug 17, 2017 Martha Toll added it

Here is my review of this book on NPR. http://www.npr.org/2017/08/13/5420625...

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Dec 25, 2017 Stephanie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2018, library-biography

Library Biography #23 (My library shelves this as a biography but I wouldn't put it in that category)

This book is really a two-for-one. Rachlin tells the story of Willie Grimes, alternating chapters describe Chris Mumma's inception and formation of North Carolina's Innocence Inquiry Commission. At first, I did not like the alternating chapters, because neither story had anything to do with the other. As the book progresses, the reader is able to see how both stories intertwine and then become on Library Biography #23 (My library shelves this as a biography but I wouldn't put it in that category)

This book is really a two-for-one. Rachlin tells the story of Willie Grimes, alternating chapters describe Chris Mumma's inception and formation of North Carolina's Innocence Inquiry Commission. At first, I did not like the alternating chapters, because neither story had anything to do with the other. As the book progresses, the reader is able to see how both stories intertwine and then become one. After finishing the book, I do appreciate the author taking the approach that he did.

The story of Willie Grimes is so unnerving. Not only is Grimes convicted of a crime that he did not commit, but his treatment while incarcerated really perturbed me. Every chapter we here about how Grimes is continually transferred from one prison to the next, to which there is no explanation as to why. He is barred from taking classes because he maintains his innocence. He is given points against his record for such minor offenses - like having 2 portable radios because the last prison allowed 2 and the new one only allowed 1. Not to mention that he receives a life sentence for rape - which seems absurd when you consider many rapists receive extremely short sentences. When you learn that real offender was in and out of jail the entire time - he never sees a harsh sentence like the man they arrested for his offence. How does this even happen in the first place?

Although the website for the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission shows that they have only been able to bring about a dozen cases to consideration, and that maybe half or so of those have led to exoneration, I do believe that this sort of commission is necessary across the 50 states. The author does not really get into depth on what extent or what steps the different states have taken to this effect, it would have been interesting to know progress from other states. It seems, at this point, much of innocence work has fallen on the shoulders of interested Universities and Colleges.

Very interesting read, much of the book does comment on Ronald Cotton's case in North Carolina. I happen to own the book on his case and will be reading that next. ...more

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Nov 07, 2017 Tutaj rated it it was amazing

It is not often I read a book that is so moving that I am fighting tears throughout. It is hard to believe that the book is not fiction, as it is heart-breaking reading about all that Willie Grimes endured. Would highly recommend this book.

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Sep 05, 2017 Janel rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The case of Willie Grimes is shocking, how he was ever convicted in the first place is beyond me! This book opens with the horrendous crime and quickly after follows the arrest of Grimes – I was gripped from the very first page! The treatment of Grimes in his arrest was appalling, the trial itself, and the evidence presented (and not presented) was shocking, to the point where it’s hard to believe this is a true story. With no legal training, you can see from a mile off, this was a miscarriage o The case of Willie Grimes is shocking, how he was ever convicted in the first place is beyond me! This book opens with the horrendous crime and quickly after follows the arrest of Grimes – I was gripped from the very first page! The treatment of Grimes in his arrest was appalling, the trial itself, and the evidence presented (and not presented) was shocking, to the point where it’s hard to believe this is a true story. With no legal training, you can see from a mile off, this was a miscarriage of justice – you have to read it to believe it, it was simply shocking and appalling.

Incorporated throughout this book are brief looks at other people who were wrongfully convicted and wow, they are just as, if not more, shocking. So shocking it’s scary – it seems you don’t even have to be in the area the crime was committed to be convicted of it, and the next thing you know, you’re serving a life sentence! We can try to seek comfort in the belief that wrongful convictions are rare, but they’re not as rare as you think.

Grimes would likely still be in prison if it were not for Chris Mumma’s determination for justice that led to the creation of the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission. At times, the parts of the book dedicated to the creation of this commission and the work Mumma and her colleagues did could be a bit long winded. And if you’re not familiar with how thing work in the US, eg. Senate and legal jargon, these bits may make slow reading. I fully understand the importance of the work being carried out but the information on forming the organisation was a bit heavy at times.

There’s no denying Willie Grimes and his quest for freedom is the heart and soul of this book. As you read it, you grow to admire Willie, throughout it all, he held no ill will towards anyone, he just wanted to go home to his family. Reading about his experience in prison was a shock to my system, how can inmates be shipped from prison to prison to prison, many times, placed too far from their friends and family to have them visit.

I always maintain that true crime stories are more chilling than any fiction, and Ghost of the Innocent Man is proof of that. These miscarriages of justice are a chill you can’t shake off – as I read more of these books, I see a trend, these crimes happened so long ago but it’s only recently, within the last 10 years, that these wrongs are being righted. But you can’t give a man back 25 years of his life!

If you are interested in books about wrongful convictions and the workings [and failings] of the criminal justice system, I recommend you read this book.

*My thanks to the publisher (Little, Brown and Company) for granting me access to a digital copy of this book via Netgalley* ...more

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Aug 23, 2017 Lou rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction

Injustices with a quiet giant, Willie J Grimes.
Unsettling on its revelations, informative on the history of injustices.
Will Grimes will stay with the reader for some time for his patience against the injustice.
This work will have you ruminate on the ones that have been sentenced to death innocents unjustly lost.
They may be some respite in knowing Grimes was one of the lucky ones that was freed eventually.
The life to and fro from prison to prison, the inadequate representations and care, and lack ...more

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Dec 04, 2017 Antonella rated it it was amazing

What I wish I had selected as my book club pick.

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Oct 01, 2017 Jlsimon rated it really liked it

This book shares a lot of elements with other stories of exoneration. Willie Grimes was abused by our justice system the way so many others have been. It really does make me wonder what if anything can be done to put more safe-guards in place to protect citizens. It is tragic.

It took me a long time to connect with this book. So much fact finding but so little outrage. Finally the lawyers that assisted in Grimes's exoneration displayed the outrage I was feeling and I was able to connect.

Things ...more

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May 28, 2017 Maggie Holmes rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction-2017, books-read-in-2017

Thanks to Edelweiss, I read this as a pre-pub. I have always been interested in the justice system and was fascinated by Picking Cotton and Grisham's Innocent Man. Legally, innocence is not enough to overturn a jury conviction. What kind of sense does that make?
What makes this book different from the other two books is that it tells the story of the development of the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission along side the story of Willie Grimes. Willie's story is sad but with a good ending. ...more

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Sep 16, 2017 Catherine Read rated it it was amazing

What a remarkable book. The entire gripping story is gleaned from 25 years worth of notes, transcripts, forms, files, interviews and testimony. No one's name has been changed because it's all a matter of public record. If transparency is what you want, then this style of non-fiction investigative journalism will deliver that on every page.

The book starts off telling two stories: The conviction of Willie James Grimes in 1989 for a rape in Hickory, NC; and the formation of North Carolina's Innocen What a remarkable book. The entire gripping story is gleaned from 25 years worth of notes, transcripts, forms, files, interviews and testimony. No one's name has been changed because it's all a matter of public record. If transparency is what you want, then this style of non-fiction investigative journalism will deliver that on every page.

The book starts off telling two stories: The conviction of Willie James Grimes in 1989 for a rape in Hickory, NC; and the formation of North Carolina's Innocence Inquiry Commission (NCIIC) which is the first and ONLY commission of its kind in the entire United States. In ten years, the NCIIC has exonerated 10 wrongly convicted inmates.

The chapters alternate between the two stories, which eventually converge when inmate Willie Grimes eventually connects with Christine Mumma, who was the driving force behind the formation of the NCIIC. As a young lawyer fresh out of law school clerking for the Chief Justice of North Carolina's Supreme Court, I. Beverly Lake, Christine began flagging cases that looked like wrongful convictions. She was frustrated by the fact that appeals were only matters of procedural considerations and NOT about actual innocence. She convinces this conservative Judge to work with the liberal academics of North Carolina's Innocence Project to form a working group that eventual swelled to 30 members from DA offices, sheriff's departments, police departments, defense attorneys and even members of victim's rights group. It was rocky, contentious, messy and hard.

The story of the birth of the NCIIC is every bit as gripping and frustrating as the wrongful conviction of Willie James Grimes. We know from the beginning of the book that he is innocent of this crime of rape which happened in Hickory, NC, in 1988. This was at a time when DNA testing was in it's infancy and not used as a primary tool in crime investigations. Willie Grimes is convicted based on the testimony of the 69 year old victim and the testimony of a specialist in hair identification - which would later be totally discredited as a reliable tool for identifying perpetrators.

The author, Benjamin Rachlin, walks us through incompetencies at every level - in excruciating detail - from the initial investigation of the crime, to Willie's many moves among multiple prisons for no apparent reason, to psychiatric reports that are breathtaking in their presumptions, misinformation and misdiagnosis.

The inhumanity of the criminal justice system screams from every page. And the author is simply relaying the information contained in volumes of reports about every tiny aspect of Willie's life inside the North Carolina prison system. It's also a walk through 25 years of pharmacology in the U.S. This man entered prison taking no medications whatsoever, and the list of prescription medications and the amounts he was given in the almost 25 years he was a prison is mind boggling. The fact that he had advanced prostate cancer that was overlooked despite constant medical supervision is just one of a long list of incompetencies that plagued this man's life.

This book is simultaneously infuriating and frustrating and also incredibly inspiring. What happened to Willie Grimes is not some rare case. Far from it. As of March 2017, there have been over 2,000 exonerations in the U.S. - at least one in every state. And that is the tip of the iceberg. Keep in mind that the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission has no counterpart in any other state. There are Innocence Projects scattered across the country doing what work they can, and there are some Conviction Integrity Offices in places like Dallas and Houston. But the North Carolina Legislature formed this commission and FUNDED this commission and gave them legal authority to decide if a convicted defendant is actually innocent.

The protagonists in this book are Willie J. Grimes and Christine Mumma. Where their stories converge is the heart of this book. The NCIIC decided to investigate his case - a fascinating look at how they conducted that investigation - and then made their case to the 8 member commission, which voted unanimously to send it to a 3 judge panel. After living every minute with Willie in prison, and watching the machinations of Christine to invent something that had never been done before, I think I held my breath through the last chapters of the book.

This book is so real. The writing is excellent. Benjamin Rachlin masterfully weaves all this "information" into a compelling story. And he's not in it. That is the other remarkable aspect of this book - the absence of the writer's presence. That is a talent not to be overlooked. I'm not sure a lesser writer could have turned 24 years of prison reports into a page turner of a book. This author did that.

I love this book. It makes me crazy to think that we have allowed this to go on. It makes me crazy to think that after a decade of showing the effectiveness of this kind of commission that NO OTHER STATE has followed North Carolina. Why? Do we really not care enough about the integrity of our system of justice to warrant replicating a proven model that has saved the wrongly convicted from death row and life sentences? WTF?

Read this book and then get really really mad. Get up on your high horse and take a wild ride to your state capitol and advocate for your legislature to DO THIS THING! ...more

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Sep 17, 2018 Jennifer rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this. I expected it to go through the facts of Willie Grimes' imprisoned life and the case to free him. This book does that and more. The book alternates between the life of Willie Grimes and the story of the formation of the Center on Actual Innocence. The level of detail on meetings of the center was fascinating. I loved that part of the story.
As for the story of Willie Grimes, you get a deep sense of the life of a long term prisoner: moving between prisons, caseworkers, medi ...more

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Sep 22, 2017 John Wood rated it it was amazing

By telling the story of Willie Grimes, mistakenly imprisoned for a rape he didn't commit, this book illustrates the rampant problem of innocent people incarcerated in error. The groundbreaking North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission (NCIIC) has also freed countless innocent prisoners since, as have similar groups in other states. This book illuminates the problem and the devastating consequences. Each case not only ruins the lives of the wrongfully convicted but allows the guilty to remain f ...more

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Oct 13, 2017 Martha rated it really liked it

This is the story of the Innocence Inquiry Commission in North Carolina and the case of Willie Grimes who was imprisoned for 25 years for a rape that he did not commit. He was not allowed to attend the SOAR classes for sex offenders because he would never admit to a crime that he was innocent of. He is finally free. This book shows how an innocent man was convicted on the flimsiest of evidence and on no investigation of the crime.

Highly recommended.

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Jan 01, 2019 Chris Cole rated it it was amazing

I loved this book. It was extremely educational - our criminal justice system has some serious issues. Might be the best in the world, but that doesn’t make it perfect by a long stretch.

Reading about Willie Grimes broke my heart. I found myself wishing I’d volunteered for the Innocence Project in law school. There are WAY too many Willie Grimeses out there.

Great read if you’re interested in criminal justice, wrongful conviction, perseverance or the human condition.

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Nov 21, 2017 Andrea rated it it was amazing

When the book started, I was not impressed. The story felt fractured with too many characters. Once I got into the story and figured out the main players, I could not but the book down. I was not familiar with this story, so the details of it were so tragic to me. Looking forward to more books by this author

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Feb 21, 2018 Melyssa rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction-favorites, 2018-popsugar-reading-challenge, 2018-nonfiction-challenge, wrongful-conviction

This book is the dual story of the creation of North Carolina's Innocence Inquiry Commission, the first state agency of its kind, and that of Willie Grimes, one of the wrongfully convicted people the commission freed. Reading this made me anxious even though I knew the outcome. It is appalling how long Mr. Grimes spent in prison and I am amazed by how he handled this wrong against him. It made me proud of North Carolina for establishing this commission, which was established in 2006 and has resu ...more

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Oct 25, 2017 Kathleen Kline rated it really liked it

Amazing story. Unbelievable. Didn't realize the statistics of how many innocent people have been convicted. But a story of hope of how things can be corrected and changed.

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Nov 29, 2018 Allysa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction

This is by far the most interesting book I've read (well, technically, I listened to it) on the subject of wrongful convictions. I would highly recommend it!

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May 05, 2018 Jeimy rated it it was amazing

Riveting read about a man who was wrongly convicted for a crime, his time in prison, and how his innocence was finally proven.

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Dec 19, 2017 Lynn Huntington rated it it was amazing

Absolutely one of the best books I have read this year. It is the story of Willie Grimes who was wrongly convicted and incarcerated for twenty four years. His story alone is amazing. But the book also covers advances in investigative techniques and most importantly, the creation of North Carolina's unique Innocence Inquiry Commission. Christine Mumma is the unsung heroine of this story. Highly recommend.

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Oct 08, 2017 Nissa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: criminal-justice, true-crime, stand-alone-novel, novel, autobiography, memoir, adult-nonfiction, american-nonfiction, historical-nonfiction, literary-nonfiction

A great read about the perseverance of one man, his family and a program called “NCIIC” to get a wrongful conviction overturned. I won a free copy of this book from LitHub. Thanks, truly enjoyed.

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Feb 24, 2018 Deborah Cleaves rated it it was amazing

It doesn’t take much for a life to go to hell. When folks are overwhelmed and don’t do their jobs as they ought, in some professions, people pay for their lethargy with their lives.

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Oct 06, 2017 Jason rated it it was amazing

GHOST OF THE INNOCENT MAN, basically reportage, in not the kind of thing I generally read. Which is paradoxically a big part of the reason I bought and read it. Something of an impulse buy. It certainly helped that the hardcover has a gushing blurb from Richard Ford on the back (evidently Rachlin studied under Ford). I have often said that I think documentary films that are primarily informational in nature would have their stories better served by books. GHOST OF THE INNOCENT MAN is precisely t GHOST OF THE INNOCENT MAN, basically reportage, in not the kind of thing I generally read. Which is paradoxically a big part of the reason I bought and read it. Something of an impulse buy. It certainly helped that the hardcover has a gushing blurb from Richard Ford on the back (evidently Rachlin studied under Ford). I have often said that I think documentary films that are primarily informational in nature would have their stories better served by books. GHOST OF THE INNOCENT MAN is precisely the kind of book I have in mind. We are certainly used to documentary exposés on purported wrongful convictions and the legal rigamarole surrounding them. From Errol Morris's revolutionary and brilliant THE THIN BLUE LINE to the to-me-completely-unwatchable Netflix hit MAKING A MURDERER, most of us have at least some familiarity w/ these stories and the ways they can be packaged. Generally these stories involve some degree of advocacy on behalf of somebody presumed wrongfully convicted. There are no shortage of books that do the same. GHOST OF THE INNOCENT MAN fundamentally pursues another kind of advocacy altogether. Wille Grimes, the man falsely convicted of rape who is at the centre of this story, spent twenty-four years unjustly imprisoned in North Carolina and was subsequently exonerated because of (ultimately - there are many parties involved here) that state's unique Innocence Inquiry Commission. Rachlin's book threads together the story of Gimes' trial and subsequent years behind bars w/ the story underpinning the formation of the commission that would ultimately secure his release. The commission story begins long after Grimes has been imprisoned, so the timelines begin by interpolating in an incongruous fashion only to merge late in the book. This involves a commendable demonstration on writerly dexterity. The book is above all a feat of structure and execution. Its primary goal, aside from telling what is inarguably a compelling story (or rather two compelling stories), is to advocate for the formation of comparable commissions in other states. The National Registry of Exonerations in the United States continues to make clear that innocent people are convicted in alarming numbers. The fact that North Carolina is the only state that has institutionally empowered a commission to right these wrongs would seem itself criminal. ...more

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Oct 29, 2017 Donna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: history, crime, biography, politics, psychology, social-issues

This is a horror story that could happen to anyone.

And it did. To blacks and whites, professionals and laborers, men and women.

No-one seems to be safe from a justice system that obstructs justice without consequence, rushes convictions without proper investigation, destroys evidence, fails to provide information to defense attorneys and is probably overburdened and underfinanced.

There are heroes in this story, from Willie himself who refused parole or release under the condition of confessing to This is a horror story that could happen to anyone.

And it did. To blacks and whites, professionals and laborers, men and women.

No-one seems to be safe from a justice system that obstructs justice without consequence, rushes convictions without proper investigation, destroys evidence, fails to provide information to defense attorneys and is probably overburdened and underfinanced.

There are heroes in this story, from Willie himself who refused parole or release under the condition of confessing to the crime for which he was unjustly charged; to a wealthy woman who could not tolerate injustice and made it her obsession to change the laws to reverse unfair convictions; to the many politicians who were willing to admit errors and change the laws to make fewer wrong convictions occur (and thus make it possible to find the actual criminals who had gone free because of a wrongful conviction); and to the author who thoroughly and impartially researched this entire story.

The author is amazing. This is a story that stirs deep emotions, but the author is impartial. He does not take sides. He does not rejoice in the ending. He does not omit any detail but he recounts his findings in very neutral language.

So why is he so good? Because an author who uses emotional language has already taken sides. This attitude will actually repel a reader who wants to form his own opinion. Instead of trying to control the emotions of the reader, the author lets the facts have their effect on the reader.

But he does this in a way that is not boring or tedious, like so many similar books that try so hard to be detailed and factual that they are overdone. Instead, this book is a page turner. You simply want to keep reading to find out if insurmountable problems can be overcome. At every turn, there is a defeat. The more evidence there is to overturn the conviction, the more injustice appears. At some point, reasonable people who are up against a system have to concede defeat. And give up.

But this does not happen. No-one quits.

This is a story that can inspire everyone to never, never, never give up.
...more

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Feb 03, 2019 Katie Bee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2019-books-read

I think this book did a really good job of not only telling the story of the horrible miscarriage of justice in Grimes's particular case, but also highlighting how he is one of the very few who saw that miscarriage rectified, and that there are surely so, so many more wrongfully convicted yet to find justice. The fact that at the time of writing North Carolina's Innocence Commission had not been copied by other states is so galling! There should be a similar system in every state in the country. I think this book did a really good job of not only telling the story of the horrible miscarriage of justice in Grimes's particular case, but also highlighting how he is one of the very few who saw that miscarriage rectified, and that there are surely so, so many more wrongfully convicted yet to find justice. The fact that at the time of writing North Carolina's Innocence Commission had not been copied by other states is so galling! There should be a similar system in every state in the country. Sure, it'll only find a few of the innocent people - the bar for a finding of innocence is so high, that if an innocent person lacks the evidence to prove it, there's nothing that can be done (as almost happened in Grimes's case) - but every innocent person freed is important.

The book also talks at length about other reforms that could be done pre-conviction. The identification lineups, for instance. If ever I'm a witness to a crime, you'd better bet that I'm asking a lot of questions about how my identification lineup is being run! (And probably warning all and sundry that I am crap at remembering faces and you'd better not be convicting anyone based on my identification.)

There's a lot of emphasis on how the reforms in question are good for all concerned - for police and prosecutors as well as the defense. Nobody wants to put innocent people behind bars and leave the guilty free to go on committing crimes! So why the hell can't we put reforms into practice?? People are scared about looking 'soft on crime', I know, but this is literally the opposite. Nobody wants a murderer on the streets while an innocent person is locked up for the crime.

Anyway, this is an excellent book and I highly recommend it. Parts are a bit dry, but important. Other parts are riveting and often heartbreaking, especially when you know going in that this is a happy ending story - Grimes gets out in the end, after decades of imprisonment, and is living a good life in his last years, according to Rachlin. There are so many other innocents behind bars, many without a hope of ever living free again. This HAS to change. ...more

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Oct 21, 2017 Chris Demer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: law, politics, social-commentary, criminal-justice

In 1988 Willie Grimes was convicted of rape and sentenced to life in prison in North Carolina.

After 24 years in prison he was exonerated by the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission, initiated by Chris Mumma in 2006.

Willie was innocent of the crime and was convicted on very flimsy evidence. The elderly white victim identified him as the attacker, although she was shown two different photo arrays, one of which showed the actual rapist and another which showed Willie Grimes in the same posit ...more

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Oct 04, 2017 Karen Williams rated it liked it

Shelves: giveaways

Chilling, unsettling, absorbing, powerful, gripping, devastating, terrifying and ultimately inspirational. Just a few of the descriptives for this carefully researched account of Willie Grimes’ wrongful and unjust conviction and imprisonment.

The prologue of this book details the beating and rape of an elderly woman. I am sickened that someone could commit such a cruel and depraved crime. But instead of finding satisfaction in the conviction of the perpetrator, I am shocked and outraged that Wil ...more

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Jan 15, 2019 Christie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks, 20th-century, random-nonfiction

In 1987, Willie Grimes was arrested for the violent rape of an elderly woman. Like other people arrested, Grimes protested his innocence, unlike others, he actually was innocent. Convicted by a jury in 1987 on nothing but eyewitness identification, Grimes would spend the next 24 years of his life in prison fighting to get his conviction overturned. This is the story of his fight and how a group of lawyers fought to establish a state agency to investigate claims of post-conviction innocence.

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Oct 15, 2017 Art Wieland rated it really liked it

Being a resident of North Carolina, and knowing the very conservative law and order views held by many in this state, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that our legislature was the first in the country to codify a process whereby those actually wrongfully convicted could seek relief. This was a fascinating view inside the criminal justice process told from the perspective of Willie Grimes and those who helped his cause....a man convicted of felony rape (based on facial ID by the victim, now ...more

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About Benjamin Rachlin

Benjamin Rachlin

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Benjamin Rachlin grew up in New Hampshire. He studied English at Bowdoin College, where he won the Sinkinson Prize, and writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where he won Schwartz and Brauer fellowships. His work has appeared, or is forthcoming, in The New York Times Magazine, Virginia Quarterly Review, TIME, Orion, Pacific Standard, LitHub, and Five Dials. He lives near Boston.

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