Man who spent 27 years in prison for crime he didn't commit reveals the biggest change in society
Topics: Crime, US News, Technology, Social Media
Lucy Devine
Featured Image Credit: Nicholas Ruskey/Korey Wise Innocence Project
Topics: Crime, US News, Technology, Social Media
A man who spent almost three decades in jail for a crime he didn't commit has explained how it feels to face such huge societal changes, 27 years on from losing his freedom.
Stephen Martinez was wrongfully convicted of the death of baby Heather Mares back in 2000. It is reported that Martinez had called emergency services, explaining that he had discovered Heather choking in her crib.
According to PEOPLE, Martinez told police at the time that he had shaken the baby and she had hit her head against the cot. Martinez always insisted what happened was an accident, but he spent nearly 30 years behind bars before the conviction was overturned.
New evidence suggested that baby Heather had in fact died from complications of pneumonia.
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Recalling the tragic evening, Martinez told Denver7: "I was sitting there eating, and I heard Heather, she started, like, gasping, choking, even. So I put my plate aside and I went in there and just... She was in distress, that's for sure.
"I did a finger sweep, because I thought maybe she grabbed a little toy or something. I picked her up, and I'll just pat her on the back. And then she threw up on me, but it looked like blood and baby formula."
Meanwhile, Denver District Attorney John Walsh wrote on the day the conviction was overturned: “The Korey Wise Innocence Project presented my office with multiple credible medical experts who challenged the initial determination that Heather's death was caused by physical abuse."
Speaking about his new freedom, Martinez told PEOPLE: “This feels wonderful, amazing, just an incredible feeling to be able to leave all that steel, concrete, razor wire behind and be made righteous and come back into society with a new beginning, a new start.
"... I devoted a lot of time to studying and reading, and you know getting a take on human nature, because I'd like to be able to take some online courses or maybe go to community college and become a counselor, maybe a mental health person, myself.
"I hope with what I learned now that I'm out here, I'll be able to be an advocate for people who are innocent.”
After three decades behind bars, much of the world has gone through some pretty big changes, especially where technology is concerned.
Martinez explained that he's learning quickly, but taking it one day at a time.
“It's been challenging, and fun, and sometimes frustrating, but it's been an overall joy being able to get out into this whole new world that changed and left me behind, and get to use new technology," he said.
"Like I'm really having a lot of fun with the smartphone, but I'm learning quickly. But just, you know, taking it one day at a time, just enjoying learning it all and taking it all in.”