Quincy Marquies Amerson, a client of the Duke Law School Wrongful Convictions Clinic, walked free on March 13 for the first time in more than two decades after the clinic presented exculpatory evidence in his murder conviction and the state dismissed its case. Amerson, now 49, spent nearly 23 years in prison after being convicted of first-degree murder in the death of a child in Harnett County and sentenced to life without parole.
He was effectively exonerated of the crime on February 16, after a Superior Court judge found that prejudicial evidence and testimony had denied him a fair trial and vacated his conviction and sentence. But he had to wait in jail for almost another month until District Attorney Suzanne Matthews signed and filed a dismissal ending the case.
The state didn't give his family or counsel enough notice to witness Amerson's first moment of freedom, but he went home to his parents, who had supported their son throughout his ordeal. Coleman, Jr.
Bradway Distinguished Professor of the Practice of Law and director of the Wrongful Convictions Clinic, who has been working to exonerate Amerson since Amerson spent his first full day of freedom enjoying time with his family, savoring simple pleasures like getting into a car with his father and driving around together to do errands.
While he missed seeing his children grow up and meeting his nieces, Amerson said he remained optimistic throughout his long ordeal, passing time by reading, writing, and reaching out to anyone who might be able to help. Now, he said, he hopes to use his case to shine a light on injustice in the criminal legal system. My hope is that our system can progressively have more prosecutors who are more interested in delivering the truth than winning convictions, more interested in doing what is right than advancing their political agenda.
