C&P Secures Release of Wrongfully Convicted Man After 18 Years of Incarceration
Late on Monday night, March 2, 2020, C&P Partner Matthew Peed had the great privilege to welcome our client David Wilson as he walked out of D.C. jail to freedom for the first time after 18 years of incarceration.
Mr. Wilson had been sentenced to 30 years to life of incarceration for the August 1998 murder in Southeast DC of Ronnie Middleton, a hitman for the 1-5 Mob, and Middleton’s girlfriend. Mr. Wilson fought for years to uncover evidence exonerating himself, and that quest is described in the August 2015 story by Jim McElhatton of the Washington City Paper called, “Invisible Tape.”
In October 2017, Clinton & Peed moved to vacate Mr. Wilson’s conviction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2255, and the government agreed to a stipulated disposition earlier this year that would give Mr. Wilson the opportunity to be released immediately rather than go through a lengthy re-trial process.
Rejecting the government’s request that Mr. Wilson should serve several more years of incarceration, Judge Paul Friedman ordered Mr. Wilson’s immediate release at his resentencing hearing on February 28 of this year. It took a few days to process Mr. Wilson’s paperwork, but he was eventually released in the evening on March 2, 2020. Partner Matthew Peed, who waited with a crowd of Mr. Wilson’s family and friends to witness his first moments of freedom, had this to say:
Mr. Wilson is one of the most remarkable individuals I have had the privilege to represent through my years helping indigent clients navigate the criminal justice system. In eighteen years of incarceration, Mr. Wilson did not receive a single disciplinary infraction, even though he was frequently housed with extremely violent inmates. He achieved his GED a few months after his sentencing, completed courses in leadership and goal-setting, parenting, effective communication, psychology, personal and professional development, and mentoring others, as well as obtained certificates in drug addiction treatment, data entry, and receptionist training. He did all of this while serving an effective life sentence, showing tremendous personal character and a sincere desire to make himself a better person for its own sake. He truly is a special person, and it has been an honor to represent him. We believe society will benefit tremendously from his release.
The local ABC affiliate WJLA Channel 7 was on the scene to capture this special moment.
Clinton & Peed has a deep commitment to serving the public through court-appointed representation of indigent criminal defendants at the trial and appellate levels in D.C. and federal courts. Mr. Wilson’s case marks the fourth time in four years that our firm’s efforts have resulted in a sentence reduction of more than 20 years for one of our clients.