Ronnell Johnson

Wrongfully convicted: March 24, 2008
Exonerated: June 1, 2022
Washtenaw County

Ronnell Johnson was convicted of armed robbery in 2008, stemming from an incident that occurred on March 30, 2007, at a car wash in Ypsilanti. The robbers were caught on grainy surveillance footage, and Johnson’s estranged father told the police that he was one of the men in the footage. Despite other family members saying Johnson was not the man in the video, he was convicted and sentenced to up to 25 years in prison.

The Innocence Clinic began looking into the case in 2014. It obtained an expert analysis of the video, which concluded that Johnson was significantly taller than the man in the video. In 2020, newly-elected Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit created a Conviction Integrity Unit. The CIU reached out to the Innocence Clinic to disclose that Johnson’s father was given a favorable plea deal prior to testifying against Johnson, but this information was not disclosed to the defense. 

The Innocence Clinic moved in early 2021 for Johnson’s conviction to be vacated, and the prosecution joined the request. The judge granted the motion, and Johnson was exonerated and released in June 2022.

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