A Georgia man spent 40 years behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit. He is now a free man. According to News Onyx, Terry Talley was released from Dooly State Prison on Feb. 23, with the Georgia Innocence Project’s help. The man described his newfound freedom as a “blessing.”
“Today is such a blessing. Words can’t describe how it feels to finally be free after all these years,” Talley said. “I’m so thankful for my family, who kept me going all this time, and for the Georgia Innocence Project, who never gave up.”
The publication reported that Talley had been convicted for five rapes and sentenced to life in prison in 1981. He’s been exonerated in four. The last case is still pending.
The sexual assaults occurred between February and June of that year, in LaGrange, Georgia– close to the nearby college. The victims were made up of four white women and a Black woman. A city worker was on campus and was terminated over menacing behavior complaints after police began to investigate the violent attacks, News Onyx reported.
At one point, cops found gloves at the scene where an assault took place. They allegedly belonged to the city worker who was fired.
Talley was arrested on separate simple battery and solicitation charges after he allegedly grabbed a woman he was soliciting sex from.
Once in custody, police used the opportunity to railroad Talley– adding the man’s photo to lineups in the LaGrange attacks. Victims and witnesses had already identified a suspect, but Talley was later named as the suspect.
Source: Terry Talley Is A Free Man After Spending 40 Years In A Georgia Prison For A Crime He Didn’t Commit
