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Convicted at 18. Exonerated at 57. Lovely Jackson tells the story between

headshot of Sherry English By Sherry English
3 minute read September 18, 2025

“Lovely Jackson” is the true story of OIP exoneree Rickey Jackson, who survived 39 years of wrongful imprisonment. At the time of his release in 2014, he was the longest wrongfully incarcerated person in U.S. history. Convicted at age 18 for a 1975 murder he did not commit, Jackson was sentenced to death based solely on the coerced testimony of a 12-year-old paperboy. He would go on to spend nearly four decades in Ohio’s most dangerous prisons, including three years on death row. Today, his story, “Lovely Jackson”, has been made into a documentary and is available on Amazon Prime. 

Directed by Matt Waldeck and co-written by Waldeck and Jackson himself, “Lovely Jackson” is not like traditional true-crime documentaries. With no talking heads, the film uses cinematic reenactments, dream sequences, and Jackson’s own voice to narrate the mental and emotional ground of wrongful incarceration. In the documentary, Jackson returns to the very prison where he was once held, reenacting moments from his life alongside professional actors—including one portraying his younger self—and even Edward Vernon, the former paperboy, now in his late 50s.

The film opens with the tragic shooting of a money order salesman in 1975. After being coerced by both a victim’s husband and law enforcement, young Vernon names Jackson as the killer. Despite a complete lack of physical evidence, Jackson is convicted and sentenced to die. Through his story, viewers learn that survival requires more than physical resilience. It takes mental strength. He creates an imaginary world in his mind, clings to his innocence, and refuses to falsely confess even when it could have led to parole.

The documentary has been shown around the world and has won numerous awards, including

View “Lovely Jackson” on Amazon Prime today and hear Rickey Jackson’s story in his own words: Lovely Jackson documentary

Rickey Jackson, OIP director Mark Godsey and OIP attorney Brian Howe

Rickey Jackson, OIP director Mark Godsey and OIP attorney Brian Howe

Lead photo: istockphoto.com; Rickey Jackson photo: Jay Yocis

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