Dallas exoneree reconnects with his son

08.28.08

While Patrick Waller languished in a Texas prison for a crime he didn’t commit, he always thought about his children. After DNA testing proved his innocence and led to his release on July 2, he reunited with son Chris, who was two years old when Waller went to prison and is 18 today.

Mr. Waller, 38, the 19th man in Dallas County since 2001 exonerated by DNA evidence, spent many sleepless nights pondering his life, while tossing and turning on a thin mattress in a 9 ½-foot by 15-foot jail cell.

At times, rage filled him. Other times, frustration consumed him. Sometimes, disappointment engulfed him.

But he never lost hope.

He couldn't. His four children needed him.

"Of all the things that happened to me, the worst is missing out on my kids' lives," said Mr. Waller, who has a relationship with two of his children and expects to meet his 16-year-old son this week.

"I can't get that back."


Read the full story here

. (Dallas Morning News, 08/28/08)

Waller , who is represented by the Innocence Project of Texas, is still awaiting a ruling from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals that will make his exoneration official. We’ll post here on the Innocence Blog when that happens.


Read more about Waller’s case here

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