Ken Wyniemko
Encyclopedia
Ken Wyniemko is one of two former prison
ers in Michigan
released on DNA evidence with help from the Innocence Project
.
Wyniemko was convicted of first-degree criminal sexual misconduct
on circumstantial evidence
and the testimony of a prisoner informant, Glen McCormick, who now admits he lied in order to avoid life in prison. DNA testing was not regularly performed at the time, but even the primitive blood test
s of the time indicated that Wyniemko was not the perpetrator of the crime.
Unlike most convicts, Wyniemko held on to all the paperwork relating to his arrest and trial. He spent almost a decade in jail, until he contacted the Innocence Project at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School
.
Since being released, Wyniemko has spoken at various colleges, such as Wayne State University
and the Michigan State University College of Law
, about his experience as a wrongfully convicted man. He often wears black clothes and a gold crucifix. Wyniemko believes that at least 1 of 10 persons behind bars are innocent of the crimes of which they were convicted.
A civil suit, Wyniemko v. Clinton Township, was settled out of court for $3.7 million. Wyniemko now "plans to attend law school, doesn't count out a run for office someday."
In August 2008, prosecutors announced that DNA evidence had tied another man, Craig Gonser, to the crime for which Wyniemko had been convicted, but that Gonser could not be tried because the statute of limitations
had expired .
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
ers in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
released on DNA evidence with help from the Innocence Project
Innocence Project
An Innocence Project is one of a number of non-profit legal organizations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand dedicated to proving the innocence of wrongly convicted people through the use of DNA testing, and to reforming the criminal justice systems to...
.
Wyniemko was convicted of first-degree criminal sexual misconduct
Sexual misconduct
Sexual misconduct is misconduct of a sexual nature. The term may be used to condemn an act, but in some jurisdictions it has also a legal meaning....
on circumstantial evidence
Circumstantial evidence
Circumstantial evidence is evidence in which an inference is required to connect it to a conclusion of fact, like a fingerprint at the scene of a crime...
and the testimony of a prisoner informant, Glen McCormick, who now admits he lied in order to avoid life in prison. DNA testing was not regularly performed at the time, but even the primitive blood test
Blood test
A blood test is a laboratory analysis performed on a blood sample that is usually extracted from a vein in the arm using a needle, or via fingerprick....
s of the time indicated that Wyniemko was not the perpetrator of the crime.
Unlike most convicts, Wyniemko held on to all the paperwork relating to his arrest and trial. He spent almost a decade in jail, until he contacted the Innocence Project at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School
Thomas M. Cooley Law School
Thomas M. Cooley Law School is an American Bar Association accredited law school in the United States. Located in Michigan, its main campus is in Lansing, and its satellite campuses are in Ann Arbor, Auburn Hills, and Grand Rapids. Cooley plans on opening another satellite campus in Tampa Bay,...
.
Since being released, Wyniemko has spoken at various colleges, such as Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
and the Michigan State University College of Law
Michigan State University College of Law
The Michigan State University College of Law is a private law school located in East Lansing, Michigan which is affiliated with Michigan State University...
, about his experience as a wrongfully convicted man. He often wears black clothes and a gold crucifix. Wyniemko believes that at least 1 of 10 persons behind bars are innocent of the crimes of which they were convicted.
A civil suit, Wyniemko v. Clinton Township, was settled out of court for $3.7 million. Wyniemko now "plans to attend law school, doesn't count out a run for office someday."
In August 2008, prosecutors announced that DNA evidence had tied another man, Craig Gonser, to the crime for which Wyniemko had been convicted, but that Gonser could not be tried because the statute of limitations
Statute of limitations
A statute of limitations is an enactment in a common law legal system that sets the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings based on that event may be initiated...
had expired .