About Timothy McGruder

 McGruderIn 1996, a tragic incident occurred where an innocent girl was murdered. The driver of the car had connections with a gang and rival gang members shot at the car while it was parked at an Amoco gas station, resulting in the little girl’s death. The case went unsolved until 2001 when Terron “Rico” Williams and his brother, who were involved in drug trafficking, were arrested and facing severe jail time. Rico made a plea deal with the police to provide them with the names of the three men who committed the murder in exchange for a reduced sentence.

However, Timothy, who had no connection to the crime, was wrongfully convicted despite the lack of evidence linking him to it. The witnesses, who had personal ties to Rico, could not identify Timothy correctly from a series of photos, and there was no DNA evidence of his involvement in the crime. In addition, his attorney arrived 30 minutes late to the trial, and his case was handled poorly. Despite all of this, Timothy was sentenced to federal prison for life without parole, and the actual killer remains at large.

Furthermore, Timothy was indicted for the same drug conspiracy as the three men who framed him, even though he was not initially charged with the little girl’s murder. When one of Timothy’s co-defendants’ lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the trial, the prosecutor lied about referencing the drug conspiracy to prevent the case from being dismissed due to the statute of limitations.

Timothy’s lawyer did not focus much on his actual innocence, instead attempting to prove that Rico was most likely behind the murder. However, Timothy and his family deserve justice, and they cannot afford legal representation. Donations or sharing the story could help Timothy regain his life, reunite with his mother, and potentially make a difference in prison reform upon his release.

You can listen to Timothy talk about his wrongful conviction with Beyond the Crime Podcast (plus a touching blog about his case written by the host, Maria), by clicking here. 

Sarah DeArmond did a Deep Dive into Timothy’s wrongful conviction on Season One of her Podcast, Voiceless Behind Bars (named after this nonprofit). Make sure to give it a listen, available on all streaming services!