Man fights to clear his name after conviction overturned
William Arnold had his sexual assault sentence overturned and is now working for the Tennessee Office of Reentry.
By Marius Payton and Chuck Morris
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WSMV) — A Tennessee man says he’s fighting to clear his name after his conviction was overturned.
Now he wants to be exonerated, a status that implies innocence.
While he fights for it, he’s helping those coming out of the prison system never return.
In 2013, after a child he mentored accused him of sexual assault, William Arnold was convicted and sentenced to 25 years.
He went from “Pillar in the Community” to Inmate 524840.
A short time later, his fight for innocence began.
“It was mentally, emotionally and financially draining,” Arnold said.
A 2020 post-conviction appeal reversed and vacated his conviction and sentence. Arnold was a free man … sort of.
“Having your conviction overturned and being exonerated are two different things, two different things,” Arnold said. “In pretty much every state in the union, I’m exonerated. In Tennessee, there is a process.”
A board reviews the case and gives its recommendation to the governor.
In April, that happened with mixed recommendations for Arnold’s exoneration. However, it’s still Gov. Bill Lee’s decision.
But history isn’t on Arnold’s side. Since 1989 Tennessee has seen just 38 exonerations.
Meantime, he’s also one of the parties named in a civil lawsuit filed by the victim, who stands by his original allegations. Arnold couldn’t comment.
Instead, he focuses on his work with the state helping those who have been in the criminal justice system adjust to life outside of prison.
“We had an event last year and this guy got 32 things expunged because of an event our office hosted,” Arnold said about how rewarding his work is. “He hugged me, and he said, ‘When I got up this morning, my life was messed up and because of today and what y’all did, my life is now in order and I just want to say thank you,’ and I stood there and cried like a baby.”
He also finds strength by openly talking about his journey.
“You know honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever have real closure on this because it’s always gonna be a huge part of my life that was taken away. Something I can never get back,” Arnold said.
WSMV4 reached out to the governor’s office about Arnold’s exoneration. WSMV4 was told that there is no time frame for consideration and the governor may grant clemency at any point during his term.
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