{"id":12044,"date":"2024-05-24T18:51:16","date_gmt":"2024-05-24T18:51:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/used82.com\/?p=12044"},"modified":"2024-05-24T18:51:16","modified_gmt":"2024-05-24T18:51:16","slug":"wrongly-convicted-man-survived-23-years-on-death-row-knowing-he-was-innocent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/used82.com\/?p=12044","title":{"rendered":"Wrongly convicted man survived 23 years on death row knowing he was innocent"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sherwood Brown spent 23 years on Mississippi death row for a triple murder he didn’t commit<\/h2>\n

Warning: This article contains mentions of violence and suicidal thoughts which some readers may find distressing.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sherwood Brown spent 23 years of his life on Mississippi death row for crimes he did not commit.<\/strong><\/p>\n

How would you motivate yourself to survive if you were wrongly sent to prison for a triple murder, handed the death penalty and spent more than two decades on\u00a0death row<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Sherwood was sentenced in 1995, beginning the 23 years he spent on death row for\u00a0crimes<\/a> he didn’t commit. This is how he survived.<\/p>\n

What led to Sherwood’s conviction<\/strong><\/h2>\n

On January 6 1993, 13-year-old Evangela Boyd, her mother, 48-year-old Verline, and 82-year-old grandmother, Betty, from DeSoto County, Mississippi, were killed. Two years later, 26-year-old Sherwood was convicted of their murders.<\/p>\n

Death Penalty Info reports the conviction relied heavily upon several testimonies and alleged evidence – an FBI agent testifying blood was found on a pair of Sherwood’s shoes, however, they ‘could not confirm absolutely the presence of blood’ in a ‘confirmatory test\u2019.<\/p>\n

Another said they weren\u2019t \u2018able to determine positively’ whether a pair of Sherwood’s shoes matched bloody footprints found at the Boyds’ house.<\/p>\n

A doctor testified it was ‘highly probable’ a cut on Sherwood’s wrist had been made by Evangela, but later said they couldn’t say with ‘absolute certainty’ or even ‘reasonable certainty’.<\/p>\n

And – while facing serious charges themselves – one of Sherwood\u2019s former friends claimed they\u2019d heard him admit to the crimes. They received no prison time in return for their testimony.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Sherwood<\/div>\n

Sherwood was sentenced to death in 1995. (Death Penalty Information Center)<\/cite><\/div>\n

Receiving the death sentence<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Sherwood was subsequently convicted on one count of capital murder and handed the death sentence alongside two consecutive life sentences.<\/p>\n

The now-56-year-old tells UNILAD it took ‘a lot of years being on death row to really realize’ he was there.<\/p>\n

“I actually thought I was going to die within the next month,” Sherwood said. “They sentence you to a date and I’m sitting there in my cell, preparing myself to get executed.”<\/p>\n

\n
\"Sherwood<\/div>\n

Sherwood was held in Mississippi State Penitentiary for 23 years. (Google Maps)<\/cite><\/div>\n

Death row<\/strong><\/h2>\n

“It almost happened, but it didn’t.”<\/p>\n

Instead, Sherwood would spend the next 23 years receiving the same hole-filled tray of\u00a0food<\/a>, spending 23 hours a day in his cell with fleeting trips outside in the chicken coop ‘pens’.<\/p>\n

He faced racial discrimination, ‘got jumped by a lot of guys,’ saw ‘a couple of guys get killed’ and even ‘got stabbed in the neck’ himself, but bar some self defence, he never hit back.<\/p>\n

Why? Sherwood knew he was innocent and didn’t want to risk anything jeopardizing future freedom.<\/p>\n

“We [were] supposed to be fighting for our life on death row [but] we tried to kill each other.”<\/p>\n

And Sherwood also had another battle to fight – not giving up.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Sherwood<\/div>\n

Sherwood before he went to prison. (Supplied)<\/cite><\/div>\n

Holding on to hope<\/strong><\/h2>\n

“Year after year, my case kept getting turned down. Sometimes you want to give up. It makes you want to give up,” Sherwood says. “You want to kill yourself. But […] if you kill yourself how can you prove you’re innocent? Then people will say, ‘Well, he killed himself because he was guilty’.”<\/p>\n

But day after day, week after week – for over 20 years – Sherwood didn’t give up. He survived. Motivated to ‘come home’ for his family.<\/p>\n

In the time he was locked up, Sherwood sadly lost his mom, grandmother, ‘big momma’ and brother – “People that really cared about me and [who] wanted to see me home.”<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, the motivation to make it out for the rest of his loved ones kept him going on top of ‘the anger’ of knowing he was innocent.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Sherwood<\/div>\n

Sherwood said it took ‘a lot of years of being on death row’ to realise he was there. (UNILAD)<\/cite><\/div>\n

“It was killing me at the same time, but it kept me motivated because I knew I hadn’t done anything.<\/p>\n

“I’m constantly saying in my head: ‘You gonna go home, you gonna go home’.”<\/p>\n

Exoneration<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In 2018, Mississippi Supreme Court reversed Sherwood’s convictions based on DNA testing and false evidence, and he was transferred to Desoto County jail while his case was re-investigated.<\/p>\n

In August 2021, it was decided Sherwood wouldn’t be re-tried but set free – his release day ‘the best day’, but ‘a sad day’ too.<\/p>\n

“I didn’t get a chance to show her [his mom] that I made it.”<\/p>\n

Sherwood recalls putting on his new clothes so fast he ‘left some of the tags,’ but when he finally walked out of the prison gates he felt confused.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Sherwood<\/div>\n

Sherwood was released in 2021. (Christina Steube\/ Supplied)<\/cite><\/div>\n

“I didn’t know if I wanted to be happy, I didn’t know if I wanted to cry – I couldn’t cry. I think it took a minute to realize that I was out.”<\/p>\n

Sherwood’s first meal when he left prison was a ‘big old steak’.<\/p>\n

“And big old thing of fries. I didn’t know if I was supposed to pick it up with both of my hands – I’m trying to think which hand to use to hold a fork in and cut with the knife.”<\/p>\n

\n
\"Sherwood's<\/div>\n

Sherwood’s first meal was steak and chips. (Supplied)<\/cite><\/div>\n

“It was one of the best days of my life, but […] after being locked up for 28 years [five of those in standard prisons], everything was new.”<\/p>\n

Life now<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Sherwood may’ve survived death row, but he carries 23 years’ worth of memories and experiences with him, saying he feels ‘messed up inside’.<\/p>\n

“I’ve been home almost three years and I still call my plate a tray.”<\/p>\n

And despite being exonerated, Sherwood says people ‘still judge’ him and look at him ‘sideways’ to this day.<\/p>\n

He admitted it’s ‘rough’ both mentally but also physically, with hip replacements and a stent resulting in him being disabled and unable to work.<\/p>\n

“Since I’ve been home I’m not young anymore.”<\/p>\n

\n
\"Sherwood<\/div>\n

Sherwood used to want to seek ‘vengeance’ but his life and freedom is worth more to him than that. (UNILAD)<\/cite><\/div>\n

Sherwood has also yet to see his former friend who provided statements which led to his conviction – despite asking to see him.<\/p>\n

“Not to do anything to him – I’m not trying to lose my life to go back into the system again – just to ask him ‘why? Why you threw my life away?'” Sherwood explains. “I feel like I can move on with my life if I hear him say something, or nothing.”<\/p>\n

However, Sherwood admits he’s not always felt this way – the idea of ‘vengeance’ keeping him motivated on death row too.<\/p>\n

“I used to work out every day – hard – just to try to keep my body in shape,” he says, explaining he used to wet old legal papers and stuff them into garbage bags to use as weights.<\/p>\n

However, one of his friends on death row turned around to him and said: “Man, you know something? You ain’t doing nothing but hurting yourself.'”<\/p>\n

And Sherwood now hopes to offer similar advice to others who remain behind bars.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Sherwood<\/div>\n

Sherwood on his day of release (Christina Steube\/ Supplied)<\/cite><\/div>\n

Why Sherwood returns to death row<\/h2>\n

Since 1973, Sherwood\u00a0is the<\/a>\u00a0100th African-American in the\u00a0US<\/a>\u00a0be exonerated from a wrongful capital conviction and death sentence.<\/p>\n

His voice and story are just one of many more innocent people currently imprisoned on death row, awaiting their executions.<\/p>\n

Sherwood urges them: “Just don’t give up. Sometimes I know your mind play tricks on you, but don’t give up.”<\/p>\n

And Sherwood still visits death row – or what he refers to as ‘home’ – too.<\/p>\n

“People look at me when I said that was my home, but that\u00a0<\/em>was my home. That was my family, […] the guys I knew for almost 30 years.”<\/p>\n

While he shouldn’t ever have been there, Sherwood says death row ‘saved’ him.<\/p>\n

“Even though it were bad for me, [it] saved my life […] from being in the street or getting killed,” he explains. “But it also put me in a situation of getting killed by the state of Mississippi. And then I also had to fight for my life inside – that was the hardest part.<\/p>\n

“You don’t want to do anything to jeopardize you getting out.”<\/p>\n

It’s a ‘blessing’ for Sherwood to be out, but he can’t help but ‘feel bad’ for the others he’s ‘left behind’.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Despite<\/div>\n

Despite leaving death row, Sherwood frequently returns to support others still there and is campaigning for important change (UNILAD)<\/cite><\/div>\n

He says: “You get to see the good in people and you get to see the bad – and some people shouldn’t be there.<\/p>\n

“I must speak on their behalf. There’s a lot of guys on death row, their whole life has changed – you get older, you change.<\/p>\n

“People don’t like to see you do good, they only want to see bad.”<\/p>\n

At the time of writing, Sherwood has yet to receive any sort of compensation or apology from the state of Mississippi.<\/p>\n

He’s since been working alongside\u00a0the Innocence Project<\/a>, the law firm\u00a0Fish & Richardson\u00a0<\/a>– which represented him pro-bono – and employment charity\u00a0HopeWorks<\/a>\u00a0in Memphis to help raise awareness and support those who remain imprisoned.<\/p>\n

My final question to Sherwood is: “Having been confronted with death, what advice would you give to others about life?”<\/p>\n

Sherwood resolves: “You don’t know how much life means to you until you get your life back. Life is precious. Life is everything. In fact, if I could start my whole life all the way over again, from my childhood to coming back up, I think I would be something good.<\/p>\n

“Yeah, I\u00a0will<\/em>\u00a0be something good. And trying to make a change. But I need help.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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