Two Years Later, James Waller Goes on Living

03.09.09

Two years ago today, a pardon from Texas Gov. Rick Perry started a new chapter in James Waller’s life. Waller had served 10 years in prison for a 1983 rape he didn’t commit and another 13 years on parole as a registered sex offender. In 2006, DNA testing obtained by the Innocence Project finally proved his innocence. He was 50 years old. On March 9, 2007, the pardon made his exoneration official.

He spoke with the Dallas Examiner recently about the struggles to build a new life.

“Nobody can give me (those years) back. I remember I did an interview with public radio in South Carolina. And the guy said, ‘Uh, what do you do? Do you go back 25 years and start new?’ Naw! You just catch in where you’re at,” Waller said. “I can’t go back to when I was 26-years-old and live as a 26-year-old. I’m 52 years old. (I was 50 years old at the time.) I gotta live as a 50-year-old man. I missed out on a whole lot. So what? Just continue where I’m at, 50 years old. Living.”


Read the Dallas Examiner story

and

more about James Waller’s case

.


Other anniversaries this week:



Monday:

Cody Davis

, Florida (Served 5 Months, Exonerated 03/09/07)

Wednesday:

Michael Anthony Williams

, Louisiana (Served 23.5 Years, Exonerated 03/11/05)

Leave a Reply

Thank you for visiting us. You can learn more about how we consider cases here. Please avoid sharing any personal information in the comments below and join us in making this a hate-speech free and safe space for everyone.

This field is required.
This field is required.
This field is required.