From journalist Maggie Freleng and the Obsessed Network
In 1976 Concord, NC, a man broke into the home of a prominent white widow and violently beat and raped her. Ronnie Long, a 20-year-old black man, was given consecutive life sentences for rape and burglary. In a mostly segregated town, Ronnie was convicted by an all white jury, with no evidence linking him to the crime, an alibi, and only a shaky witness ID from the survivor. Since then, it was revealed that the prosecution witheld exculpatory evidence for Ronnie. There is also DNA evidence Ronnie is trying to get tested to prove who the real attacker was. Ronnie, now 64, has spent 44 years in prison; however, major updates happened during this case while we were reporting it.
To learn more about the case and how you can help, visit:
Donate to Ronnie's GoFundMe page here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/welcomeronniehome
[left to right: Ronnie in the 1970s; Ronnie and his wife Ashleigh; Ronnie today]
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