Tennessee man walks out of prison a free man after 24 years of wrongful conviction

By Kelsey Gibbs

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    PULASKI, Tennessee (WTVF) — It was a battle that lasted a long time, but after two decades of waiting, justice was served for Wayne Burgess.

Inside the Giles County courtroom among the families and attorneys, there was a sense of relief and triumph. Burgess had maintained his innocence for many years, and now he had reason to hope. In 1999, Burgess was convicted for the 1997 murder of his then girlfriend’s 16-month-old daughter, Nakevia Rivers.

Court documents revealed that Burgess had given a statement confessing to hitting the victim in the stomach, causing deadly internal bleeding.

However, his attorneys quickly claimed that the confession was coerced.

The medical examiner at the time, Dr. Charles Harlen, testified that the victim’s death occurred shortly after the injury. This confession and the testimony played a significant role in Burgess’s life sentence.

However, recent findings from expert witnesses, including the state’s current medical examiner, challenged Dr. Harlan’s conclusions.

It was revealed that Dr. Harlan had a history of problems, which eventually led to him losing his medical license. Also, numerous cases in which he was involved had been thrown out.

“This isn’t a clear-cut case of obvious innocence,” said Brent Cooper, Giles County District Attorney.

He believed that the jury had made the right decision.

“We have a child who died of a lacerated liver. So, the question is: who did it and how did it happen? And then both of those questions are answered and Mr. Burgess’ statement.”

But a judge thought otherwise after vacating Burgess’ sentence a month ago.

“That man’s been in prison for almost 25 years, and he just walked out the door. So, today’s a good day,” said Jason Gichner with the Tennessee Innocence Project.

Burgess reached out to the organization, and they took up his case, firmly believing in his innocence. With their help, his conviction was overturned, and he walked out of jail as a free man.

The emotional reunion between Burgess and his loved ones, including his now 30-year-old son, was a moment long-awaited.

However, Burgess’s battle for justice is not over. While his conviction has been thrown out, prosecutors still have the option to retry him.

The case remains open, and in 60 days, the state will return to court with its decision.

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