Kelvin Nolen

Wrongfully convicted: February 22, 2016
Exonerated: December 30, 2022
Wayne County

Kelvin Nolen was convicted of murder and robbery stemming from a 2014 incident at a gas station in Detroit. The incident was captured on video, but the perpetrator wore a hoodie, and the video did not show a clear view of his face. Nolen was a regular in the store, and his estranged sister told police that he could be the man in the video. Nolen was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

The Innocence Clinic investigated the case for several years and found new evidence showing that Nolen was innocent. A photogrammetric analysis showed that the perpetrator was much taller than Nolen. A new witness indicated that she saw the perpetrator and it was not Nolen. And Nolen’s sister came forward to say that she had been pressured by police to implicate her brother, and she could not in fact say he was the man in the video. 

The Conviction Integrity Unit of the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office investigated the case at the request of the Innocence Clinic. The Clinic and the CIU then filed a joint motion to vacate the convictions, which was granted on December 19, 2022. The prosecution dismissed all charges and Nolen was exonerated on December 30, 2022.

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