Donyelle Woods

Wrongfully convicted: March 17, 2004
Released through clemency: March 14, 2023
Wayne County

Donyelle Woods was convicted of murder in 2004 in connection with a shooting that occurred at a Detroit gas station. The State’s star witness was a young woman who admitted she was heavily intoxicated at the time, but claimed that she saw Woods commit the shooting. 

The Innocence Clinic began looking at the case in 2009 and spoke with the State’s star witness, who recanted and made clear that she had not been at the scene, and had implicated Woods due to police pressure. The Innocence Clinic also discovered several pieces of evidence that were favorable to the defense and pointed toward an alternative suspect. Although police had this evidence at the time of trial, they did not disclose it to the defense.

The Clinic litigated Woods’s case through state and federal courts for nearly a decade. Having been denied relief in all courts, the Clinic then sought clemency from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office Conviction Integrity Unit reviewed the case and did not oppose the grant of clemency. After a public hearing, Gov. Whitmer granted Woods a commutation on December 23, 2022. He was released from prison on March 14, 2023.

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