Photos courtesy of Robert McClendon
Robert McClendon stands with his family and holds his granddaughter after being released from jail Aug. 11. McClendon was released from prison after DNA evidence proved him innocent.On Aug. 11, McClendon was released from prison after DNA evidence proved his innocence in the kidnapping and rape of a 10-year-old girl.
"I'm not an angel, I've done things in my life," McClendon said. "But when you are doing time for something you didn't do, it's almost 10 times worse."
The worst part about his prison sentence, he said, was the thought of what could have been.
After his conviction in August 1991, McClendon sought to prove his innocence multiple times by appealing his conviction and asking for DNA testing.
"I applied for DNA testing early on in the '90s, when it was still new," McClendon said.
His request was not addressed, though, and he was barred from requesting DNA testing until 2004, when Ohio passed a law allowing inmates to apply for DNA testing. His request was again denied, as was a later application.
McClendon's case received media attention in January when the Columbus Dispatch ran a series called "Test of Convictions." The series featured reports by investigative reporters Geoff Dutton and Mike Wagner, who reviewed all 313 Ohio inmates who applied for DNA testing.
"What inspired us was constant reports and stories that were coming out about inmates being rejected for DNA testing," Wagner said. "They would apply with local prosecutors … and they were, for the most part, rejected time and time again."
After further investigation, the Dispatch reporters found several other issues concerning the process of DNA testing.
"We found a pattern of judges not giving a reason or rationales as to why they rejected it," Wagner said.
Wagner said that in many cases evidence was lost or destroyed.
McClendon, who was one of 30 inmates featured in the Dispatch series, is the only person to have been exonerated from his conviction since the investigations began.
Although Wagner and Dutton say the story is not about them, ex-inmate McClendon credits them, along with the Innocence Project, for his freedom.
"I don't believe that I would have gotten out … at least not yet … without the help of the Dispatch and the Innocence project," McClendon said. "And I think my next parole date would have been in 2013."
McClendon said that when he first received the DNA evidence from Jennifer Bergeron, his attorney from the Innocence Project, the first words out of his mouth were, "Hello truth." Since then, he says the saying has become "kind of like his signature."
"I have it on my license plates … and we have shirts made," McClendon said.
The phrase's origin is a poem titled "Hello Truth!" that he wrote while awaiting his DNA results.
On the day of his exoneration, McClendon's family and friends gathered and celebrated, wearing custom-made T-shirts with McClendon's picture on them, along with the "Hello Truth!" poem on the back.
"When I was released, they asked me what I wanted to eat … and I told them, 'Donatos pizza and wings!'" McClendon said with a smile. McClendon says he received the pizza from his attorneys and the reporters came to share the day with him.
"It probably was the best day since I've been out," McClendon said.
Although McClendon's release was highly celebrated, Ben Morrison, editor of the Dispatch, said in an online interview that the "Test of Convictions" project was not initiated solely to exonerate prisoners.
"What interested me in this project was not getting somebody out of prison," Morrison said. "What motivated me was examining the system … finding out if it's flawed … where it's flawed … and hopefully getting the legislature and the governor to fix the flaws."
One of these flaws, according to Dutton, is the court's reluctance to open old cases.
"The main thing is that the justice system is not designed to go into reverse …it's just not set up to go back and re-open cases that have been closed," Dutton said.
And when cases are re-opened, Wagner said, the courts are slow to reverse any decision.
"The amount of time it takes … that was an issue that Gov. Ted Strickland was very upset about," Wagner said. "So why this takes months or even years rather than weeks, is beyond a lot of us."
Since his release, McClendon has become an advocate for the Innocence Project as well as a "professional granddad," he said.
"I've been spending a lot of time with my family, and with these holidays coming up …they are very special to me," McClendon said. "They are my first ones out in a long time."
Alexis Hopkins can be reached at hopkins.572@osu.edu.
Be the first to comment on this article!