Williamson died a few years after getting out, but Dennis Fritz now dedicates time to telling the story of his prison stay, how his faith in God helped him keep a level mind while behind bars, and the importance of having a criminal justice system that values truth above vengeance.Īccording to the official website for the Innocence Project, Fritz was exonerated in 1999 after being convicted in 1988. After spending 11 years in prison for the 1982 murder of Debbie Sue Carter, Dennis Fritz and Ron Williamson were exonerated and released. Both were later freed.Netflix's latest true crime docuseries, The Innocent Man, has a rare happy ending for the suspects involved. Williamson at one point came within days of being executed. That case featured the same cast of investigators and prosecutors, along with the same jailhouse informant who testified against Ward and Fontenot. The books and documentary also feature the high-profile exoneration of Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz, who both were convicted in the same county for the 1982 killing of Ada waitress Debra Sue Carter. A federal judge ordered Fontenot released, but Ward remains in prison.

Lott’s case occurred around the same time and in the same county as the convictions of Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot, whose cases have come under intense scrutiny and have been the subject of numerous books, including John Grisham’s “The Innocent Man,” which he produced into a six-part documentary on Netflix. Oklahoma state law requires a conviction to be vacated in order for a wrongfully convicted person to be able to seek up to $175,000 in compensation from the state. “We are grateful to District Attorney Erik Johnson for his commitment to righting this wrong.”

“Five years ago, all evidence pointed to his innocence, but he was denied justice,” Innocence Project Senior Staff Attorney Adnan Sultan said in a statement. But earlier this year, the Innocence Project, which helped to free Lott, approached newly elected District Attorney Erik Johnson, who reviewed the case and agreed the conviction should be vacated.

Dennis fritz innocence project