Our Case Files: These amazing people each endured an average of 20 years imprisoned for a crime they did not commit. Only a handful of them have received compensation for the injustice they have survived. Read their compelling stories.
Kerry Max Cook
Tyler, TX
In November, 1997, Kerry Max Cook was freed after spending nearly 20 years on death row for a murder in which he had no involvement. This was the crowning moment of a grueling seven-year effort by Centurion Ministries on Cook's behalf. Texas' highest court threw out the conviction and ruled that the state's "illicit manipulation of the evidence permeated the entire investigation of the murder", and that the state "gained a conviction based on fraud and ignored its own duty to seek the truth"
Kerry travels the world speaking out against the death penalty. In 2007 he published his story, Chasing Justice.Related Articles
Cook Released on Bond After Years in Prison
By Lee Hancock
The Dallas Morning News
November 12, 1997
Bittersweet Victory for Death Row Inmate
By Ron Southwick
The Dallas Morning News
February 23 1999
DNA Doesn’t Match Convicted Killer Cook’s
By Peter Slover
The Dallas Morning News
April 17, 1999
