TU’s Chapter of the Ohio Innocence Project presents The East Cleveland Three

TIFFIN UNIVERSITY, Tiffin, OH—Tiffin University’s undergraduate chapter of the Ohio Innocence Project (OIP-u) will host three men collectively referred to as The East Cleveland Three, on Wednesday, February 19, at 7 p.m. in Osceola Theater. Join Laurese, Derrick, and Eugene as they tell their compelling story of spending 20 years in prison for a murder that they did not commit. Pierce Reed, Program Director, Policy Coordinator and System Liaison of the Ohio Innocence Project will join The East Cleveland Three. This event is open to the public, and co-curricular credit is available for TU students.

A Murder Many Years Ago

On February. 10, 1995, in East Cleveland, Ohio, 19-year-old Clifton Hudson Jr. was found murdered, shot multiple times. At the time, witnesses reported seeing a person wearing dark clothing and a dark hat at the scene. Three juveniles Wheatt, Glover and Johnson happened to be near the scene. But, they emphasized, when the shooting started, they sped off. All three later provided the police with descriptions of the shooter that matched the basic descriptions given by other witnesses. But in a twist of events, they were charged with the crime.

The Ohio Innocence Project secured the release of these incredible men in 2015, twenty years after their arrests. Join TU on February 19 and learn about the two events that precipitated the triple exoneration.

“We are honored to be able to host this event,” said Dr. Steven Hurwitz, Professor of Psychology and Criminal Justice. “As an undergraduate chapter of the Ohio Innocence Project, our mission is to help spread awareness of wrongful convictions. Our criminal justice system is the best in the world but it is not flawless. People need to understand the real human costs when someone is imprisoned for a crime they did not commit.”

About the OIP

The Ohio Innocence Project is Ohio’s only nonprofit organization dedicated to freeing innocent people in prison and preventing wrongful convictions. To achieve this, OIP informs the public of criminal justice system flaws, works to improve the system and educates law students to be sensitive to systemic problems. Since its inception in 2003, the Ohio Innocence Project has released 28 wrongfully convicted Ohioans, who as a whole spent over 525 years in prison for crimes they did not commit.

Last year, TU was invited to become the eighth college or university in Ohio to host an undergraduate chapter of Ohio Innocence Project. OIP-u spreads awareness of wrongful convictions.

To capture a glimpse of other exonerees’ stories, please visit https://law.uc.edu/real-world-learning/centers/ohio-innocence-project-at-cincinnati-law/meet-our-exonerees.html.

For additional information or personal interview, email Dr. Steven Hurwitz, shurwitz@tiffin.edu.

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