Andrew Leander Wilson Jr. was convicted in 1984 of a murder he did not commit. Twenty-nine years old, married, and the father of a young girl, Andy was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
He spent the next 32 years fighting for his freedom, steadfastly maintaining his innocence, while the actual perpetrator remained free. With the help of Los Angeles Innocence Project Director Paula Mitchell, he continued his efforts and was finally exonerated in 2017 and released.
After years of additional litigation, Andy was compensated for his wrongful conviction and incarceration.
Throughout his long years of imprisonment, Andy remained committed to his determination to be of service to others. Now, he’s continuing his mission as the Los Angeles Innocence Project’s founding donor, laying the groundwork through his generous support to continue the critical work of freeing the many innocent individuals in California’s prisons.
Many different errors caused Andy’s wrongful conviction – all of them preventable. These errors included false and mistaken eyewitness testimony, police misconduct, and the failure of prosecutors to disclose favorable evidence to him and his attorneys. Through its partnership with the California Forensic Science Institute’s scientists and students, the Los Angeles Innocence Project’s work will improve the reliability of scientific evidence in California courts and work to prevent and correct wrongful convictions in the state.
Andy’s commitment to be of service has been realized.