Wrongful conviction: ‘I lost my mother and father while in prison’

Robert McClendon will share his story with anyone willing to listen.

The Columbus native spent 18 years behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit.  He’s been free for 16 years and everyday he remains grateful for the freedom he once thought not possible.

McClendon is an exoneree assisted by the Ohio Innocence Project at UC Law. He spoke with WYSO public radio for a recent segment about wrongful conviction and its impact.

“The Ohio Innocence Project is not like traditional lawyers,” McClendon told WYSO. “They don't come aboard like, 'Well, guys, either you're innocent or you're guilty.' The Innocence Project only comes aboard after you have exhausted all of your appeals and you have maintained your innocence all along. “

McClendon had been wrongfully convicted in the 1990 rape and kidnapping of a 10-year-old girl. He steadfastly maintained his innocence, but three times the courts denied him the right to a DNA test. 

That changed when the Ohio Innocence Project at UC got involved and worked closely with reporters from The Columbus Dispatch to review cases of Ohio defendants who were denied access to DNA testing. Testing of DNA material on the underwear of the victim when she was attacked and a sample from McClendon while imprisoned showed he was not the culprit.

McClendon walked free from prison in 2008 and the state of Ohio in 2010 awarded him $1 million in compensation. The city of Columbus also settled a federal civil rights lawsuit with McClendon for $200,000 in 2012, according to the National Registry of Exonerations website. 

Listen to McClendon’s story on WYSO online.

Learn more about the Ohio Innocence Project and its exonerees online.

Featured top image courtesy of Istock.