Michael Austin spent 27 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit.
The former death row inmate, who was finally exonerated by the State, recounted his experiences in prison Wednesday as part of the "Wednesdays at Noon" series.
More than 150 people gathered to listen to Austin's story of how he was able to finally prove his innocence after being wrongly convicted of murder and armed robbery. Austin was accompanied by his attorney Larry Nathans, a former public defender of 12 years, who was responsible for securing Austin's release from prison. Austin's story has been publicized by such places as Good Morning America, The Discovery Channel and local sources such as the Baltimore Sun.
On June 3, 1974, Austin's mother told him that the Baltimore City Police wanted to speak to him about a murder in a local grocery store. They eventually brought Austin to trial with only one piece of key evidence: a time card found hidden in a police storage locker.
There was one crux of Austin's defense: all the eyewitnesses, except for one who was later discredited, were unanimous in their description of the suspect. The description did not fit Austin.
"All of the witnesses were certain that the suspect was approximately 5'8"-5'10" tall, light-skinned [African-American] and 160 pounds," Nathans said. "As you can all see, Mr. Austin is 6'5", no one would call him 'light-skinned' and he hasn't weighed under 200 pounds his entire adult life."
Austin coped with this gross miscarriage of justice by working to secure his freedom. He completed his GED, attended college and then went to music school while in jail.
"The most important thing for me in jail was to get out," he said.
After numerous denied retrials and petitions, he contacted the group Centurion Ministries based in Princeton, NJ. This group helps penniless inmates seek further appeals, but it can only accept 1 out of 5,000 requests.
After 21 years in jail, a group member finally responded to his pleas for help: "I believe you are innocent. I believe you, and we're going to get you out of there."
Austin was put in contact with a private investigator, who found witnesses of the 1974 crime. The group also provided him with Nathans as an attorney, working pro bono. Through tireless work, they wrote 17 petitions and eventually got the conviction overturned on the grounds that "no reasonable juror would have convicted him" in light of the new evidence and testimony.
This final appeal worked, and Austin was released from jail on December 28, 2003. He received a personal pardon from Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich in January, 2004. Within the next 30 days, Nathans will file a claim to seek compensation on Austin's behalf for his wrongful conviction.
Austin tried to explain how amazing he found freedom from prison.
"Can you imagine being in a coma for 26 years, and then waking up? That's what it's been like for me," he said.
Austin harbors no anger over what has happened to him, he said.
"It would take up too much energy [to be angry]," he said. "I don't have much time left, and [with] what I do have, I want to keep a smile on my heart and face for the rest of my life."
"The human being is more powerful than I ever thought," he said. "We can endure so much and survive."
