Ronnie Winn
Ronnie Winn was wrongfully convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Solano County, California. He has been in prison since 1999.
Frank Perkins
Franklin Perkins was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of Lee Selwyn, despite consistently maintaining his innocence and testifying he had never been to Los Angeles, where the crime occurred. The case against him relied heavily on inconsistent witness identifications, problematic media influence from repeated airings of Unsolved Mysteries, and conflicting vehicle descriptions, with some key witnesses later recanting or providing contradictory statements. Perkins has spent nearly 30 years in prison for a crime he says he did not commit, while the real perpetrator remains unidentified.
Brandon Spencer
In 2012, Brandon Spencer was implicated in a shooting at a University of Southern California (USC) party, injuring four people. None of the victims identified Brandon as the shooter, but he was ultimately arrested after a USC security guard identified him. Three hours after arresting Brandon, police found a revolver in a nearby parking lot and later attempted to link it to him through DNA. However, the DNA analysis showed that the profile could match approximately 1 in 40 people—an overinclusive result that, by today’s scientific standards, is considered unreliable for individual identification. Brandon’s case, which also involves recanted witness testimony and allegations of coercion, is now under review by TIC as a potential wrongful conviction.
Luis Salinas
After two trials—the first resulting in a mistrial due to a deadlocked jury—Luis Salinas was wrongfully convicted of attempted murder based on a false eyewitness identification, flawed ballistic evidence, and improper gang evidence tainted by racial bias. The true perpetrator, arrested the same day but never charged by the District Attorney, has since come forward with a confession to clear Luis’s name. New evidence has since emerged, further corroborating the true perpetrator’s account of events.
Jake Silva
Jake Silva was convicted of killing Renee Ramos, his on-and-off again girlfriend, based on inconsistent witness statements. The Innocence Center and the Northern California Innocence Project jointly represent Jake in proceedings to DNA test additional crime scene evidence.
Anthony Vasquez
Anthony Vasquez was wrongly convicted of murder and attempted murder in 1994. His conviction was the product of a misidentification and police misconduct.
Eric Volz
Eric Volz was wrongfully convicted of murder in Nicaragua in 2006. Despite a complete lack of evidence connecting him to the crime and ten witnesses who placed him two hours away, Eric was convicted and spent a year in prison.
Manuel Aguirre
Manuel Aguirre was wrongly convicted of murder based on mistaken eyewitness identification. DNA from crime scene evidence points away from Manuel and to other individuals.
Greg Cooper
Greg Cooper was wrongly convicted of arson and mayhem. His conviction was the product of ineffective assistance of defense counsel, junk forensic science, and false accusation.
Jason Guzman
Jason Guzman was wrongly convicted of a shooting based on an eyewitness misidentification. We now know the true perpetrator and The Innocence Center is working to prove his innocence in court.
