On October 24, 2023, Tiffin University’s student chapter of the Ohio Innocence Project (OIP-u:TU) will host guest speaker, Willie Knighten, Jr. on campus at 7 p.m. at Chisholm Auditorium in Franks Hall. This event is free and open to the public.
Willie Knighten, Jr. was falsely convicted of murder and attempted murder in Toledo in 1997 in connection with a drive-by shooting. Despite inconsistent eyewitness identifications, fingerprint analysis that excluded Knighten from the prints found in the car and three alibi witnesses who testified that Knighten was with them attending a friend’s birthday party, Lucas County Common Pleas Court Judge William J. Skow convicted him of murder and attempted murder. He was sentenced to 18 years to life on June 5, 1997.
After receiving more than 100 letters from Knighten through the years, on February 5, 2009, Judge Skow wrote to the Ohio Parole Board asking the board to recommend clemency for Knighten. Governor Ted Strickland granted Knighten clemency on November 23, 2009. Knighten began working to prevent gang violence in his community and helping people released from prison find jobs and stability. Governor Mike DeWine granted Knighten a full pardon on May 31, 2022.
“We are extremely appreciative of the opportunity to host Willie” said Dr. Steven Hurwitz, Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Criminal Justice at Tiffin University and the faculty advisor for TU’s undergraduate chapter of the Ohio Innocence Project. “It is not only an important example of how wrongful convictions happen, but, equally important, people need to hear about the work he has been doing as an anti-gang activist in the community and his passion of working with youth after spending 13 years in prison for a crime he did not commit .”
Since its inception in 2003, the Ohio Innocence Project has worked to release 42 wrongfully convicted Ohioans, who as a whole, spent over 800 years in prison for crimes they did not commit. This makes it one of the top-performing members among the international Innocence Network. OIP continues to devote itself to freeing people who are imprisoned for crimes they did not commit. It is the only Ohio-based nonprofit organization dedicated to freeing innocent persons, as well as educating the public on the flaws of our legal system and the societal issues that lead to such injustices. In addition, OIP advocates for legislation that reforms the criminal justice system to prevent wrongful convictions.
OIP-u:TU is an undergraduate-run extracurricular group, which belongs and reports to the greater OIP umbrella organization. Their mission is to further the goals of the collective, as well as provide educational and awareness-based programming about wrongful convictions and the legal system both on campus and locally. They are also affiliated with the Tiffin University School of Criminal Justice and Social Sciences. For more information, visit facebook.com/OhioInnocenceProject.
Please contact Dr. Steven Hurwitz, program faculty advisor with any questions at shurwitz@tiffin.edu.