A Utah man is free today, exonerated, after spending years behind bars for a sexual assault he did not commit, according to a judge.
Christopher Wickham, 50, was convicted of two counts of aggravated sexual assault in Salt Lake City in 1997, each a first degree felony. He was imprisoned and placed on the sex offender registry.
Utah Third District Court Judge Royal I. Hansen signed an order today exonerating Wickham, according to the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center.
It said a post-conviction investigation showed “numerous pieces of new evidence proving Mr. Wickham’s innocence.”
The prosecutor should be imprisoned for the equivalent amount of time and Mr. Wickham should be given $1 million for each year he was in jail. Anything less is unacceptable.
Sad fact that in many states, even if exonerated one remains registered. Here in GA they tell the handful of similarly situated registrants that the conviction is what drives registration. Pardons and exoneration mean absolutely nothing as far as the registry goes because it’s “not punitive.”
Worst part is that the Utah Parole Board reviewed the alibi evidence 6 years ago, and all they did was reduce his charges to 3rd Degree Felonies. They didn’t lift a finger to fix the problem and required him to register as a sex offender to boot – knowing he was innocent.
Good Day Everyone,
As a weigh-in; this story is both good and frightening.
Yes, I would argue that those of this Cloth are seen as guilty even before innocence is achieved. Years and years fighting to clear a Name and reputation. Then, years and years trying to restore a reputation.
In turn I argue that even though its a terrible slog though Mud, WE must fight every single step of the way to protect and preserve and I mean FIGHT one’s reputation. Moreover, this man did that. He worked it through the system, only to have the system say well: “yes but that doesn’t matter” .
I am so friggin angry at this. I am fighting too. I am fighting against a Regime that still wishes to keep me in their FEDERAL grasp, despite being fully off the State Registry for more than a year after fulfilling the requirement. It’s madness. It’s one mistake a long time ago which gives these entities permission to go so far up my Arse that I have no freedom still. Oh, I have freedom from the “lookup” locally, I have freedom from that. But, I am once and always to “Them” whom they see me as.
This man is under the same blanket, and it’s terrible. I feel bad for him. I do. But he needs to continue to FIGHT.
Just my opinion.
You know the saddest part about this? The only criminal here is the prosecutor. Thanks to inept judges this process is allowed to continue without any consequences.
So tragic…