Damon Thibodeaux on his newfound freedom | Forensic Files

[Applause] [Music] my name is Barry Sheek I'm co-director of the Innocence Project uh this is a
great day this is the man of the hour DAV Ido the 300th postconviction DNA Exon in the United
States if you can imagine spending 15 years of your life for a crime you didn't commit
in a 6x9 cell isolated 23 hours a day Despair and depression is something we can all understand but to overcome that
despair that takes an extraordinary human being none of us could possibly imagine what he has gone through or what
any of the men behind us have gone through during ing their experiences this is a damn good day at the office I
tell you and all I I want to say is if this case doesn't teach us if we can't figure
out how to have a death penalty that doesn't put innocent men on Death Row then we don't we don't deserve to have
it Damon well I want to thank everybody here at this table um it's been a long journey it's people like y'all
who give people like us a chance and I hope that uh in the future cases like ours can be used as
examples of what not to do during an investigation or uh interrogation and even during the court process we'll take
some questions when you were released when you walked out what was that like for you
it's it's kind of like you dream of it every day but it's not it's not the same as actually going through it it's it's
it's a sural walk what are you looking forward to now peace and quiet a good dinner we're not telling
you nice uh just concentrating on putting my life back together and moving forward Point did you feel like giving
you know at first you do feel like that sometimes you know but the minute you give up completely is
is the minute you die period how do you feel now free

Hours after his release in September 2012, Damon Thibodeaux spoke to the press about what it was like to walk free after 15 years on death row.

Brief Summary

Damon shares his journey as the 300th DNA exoneree, discussing wrongful convictions and the need for justice reform.

Key points

The Cost of Innocence. Barry Sheek emphasizes the importance of preventing wrongful convictions in the justice system.
A Long Journey to Freedom. Damon shares his experience of being wrongfully imprisoned and the hope for the future.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Despair and depression is something we can all understand.

Barry Sheek speaks about the emotional toll of wrongful imprisonment.

0:42WatchMar 30, 2014

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