On Giving Tuesday, people around the world join together in support of the causes they care about, making donations and change. And this Giving Tuesday, December 3, you can help us prove our clients’ innocence and support those who are wrongfully convicted in their fight for justice.
Below is a link to donate:
TRIBUTE TO DENNIS L. FRITZ - It is with a heavy heart that we share with you the news of the passing of Mr. Dennis L. Fritz. There are no words we can offer to his family other than may love and faith bring you comfort and strengthen you during this terribly difficult time Mr. Fritz was a man whose journey will not be forgotten. He was a son, husband, a father, a grandfather, an author, a teacher, a coach, a friend and a fighter. He spent 12 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, it is his tenacity and endurance that brings us the hope, the passion and the drive to continue his mission - to advocate and help free those who have been wrongfully convicted. He may be gone but his legacy will live on through his beautiful family. Everyone at the office is thinking of you and sending our love. May your father’s memory always be a blessing.
Our sincerest condolences,
OKIP, Andrea, Cheryl and Patrick
On Wednesday, Nov. 15, our client Beverly Moore was released after spending nineteen years in prison for a crime she didn't commit. Upon her release, she was reunited with her son who was five years old at the time of her arrest. Oklahoma City Attorney Christine Cave began working on Beverly’s case in 2010 – the Oklahoma Innocence Project and OKIP Legal Director Andrea Miller became involved with the case in 2013.
Innocence Project client Perry Lott exonerated on October 10, 2023 in Ada, Oklahoma (Image: September Bottoms/Innocence Project)
"An Oklahoma man used pandemic relief funds to have his name cleared of murder" The investigator and students at the Oklahoma Innocence Project at Oklahoma City University, which is dedicated to exonerating wrongful convictions in the state, found inconsistencies in the state’s account of a 1997 cold-case killing, and Dority’s conviction was vacated in June by a Sequoyah County judge. (AP Photo)
Eight Exonerated Persons highlight Oklahoma Innocence Project dinner held on Wrongful Conviction Day
From left to right, Francisco ‘Franky' Carrillo of California, with Oklahomans Glynn Simmons, Cory Atchison, Jeff Williams, Michelle Murphy, Perry Lott, Ricky Dority, and Paris Powell. Each of these persons was convicted of a major crime, and subsequently exonerated by the use of previously unexamined evidence presented in courts of law. The seven men and one woman were featured guests at the 2023 Wrongful Conviction Day dinner of the Oklahoma Innocence Project at Oklahoma City University. Photo by Patrick B. McGuigan.
The Oklahoma Innocence Project is excited to announce that OKIP client Ricky Dority’s conviction has been overturned. In 2015, Ricky was convicted of first-degree murder in Sequoyah County and was sentenced to life without parole. OKIP took on Ricky’s case in 2021 working with Private Investigator Bobby Staton. Over the past two years, evidence was discovered that undermines the State’s case against Ricky and strengthens the alibi defense he presented at trial. Last week, the trial judge in Sequoyah County determined that Ricky’s right to the effective assistance of counsel was violated by counsel’s failure to find and present a witness whose testimony refuted key testimony from one of the State’s witnesses. In the course of OKIP’s investigation it was also discovered that the State had withheld important information about the same witness and his motives for testifying against Ricky. If that evidence had been presented at trial, the jury likely would have rejected the witness’s testimony and would not have had sufficient evidence on which to convict. The State of Oklahoma has 90 days to decide whether to retry Ricky or dismiss the case. Ricky has served 9 years for a crime he did not commit.
This result is the culmination of years of hard work by OKIP staff, investigator Bobby Staton, several Oklahoma City University School of Law students and University of Central Oklahoma Forensic Science students. We appreciate the work and dedication of everyone who worked on and believed in this case.
We were recently recognized as a finalist for the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits ONE Awards! We are honored to be considered alongside the other great nonprofits and to continue to serve our community.
