An Oklahoma man used pandemic relief funds to have his name cleared of murder

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Oklahoma Resident Utilizes Pandemic Relief Funds to Challenge Murder Conviction

Ricky Dority, once imprisoned for life at the Joseph Harp Correctional Center in Oklahoma for a crime he always maintained he did not commit, has successfully managed to overturn his conviction. This came after he strategically used his pandemic relief funds to employ a dedicated private investigator.

The Oklahoma Innocence Project at Oklahoma City University, focused on reversing wrongful convictions, collaborated with the investigator. They discovered discrepancies in the 1997 cold-case killing narrative presented by the state. Subsequently, a Sequoyah County judge vacated Dority’s conviction in June.

Aged 65, Dority is now relishing his life on a 5-acre estate located in a prestigious neighborhood amidst the scenic Arkansas River Valley near Fort Smith. Having been incarcerated for years, he now deeply values his newfound freedom.

Statistics from the National Registry of Exonerations indicate that, since 1989, nearly 3,400 individuals have been exonerated in the U.S., predominantly from murder charges. In Oklahoma alone, over 43 have been exonerated in this timeframe, with an additional three exonerations taking place this year.

These figures highlight the pressing issues within a legal system that has seen numerous convictions stem from inadequate defense, flawed forensic evaluations, excessively ambitious prosecutors, and outdated investigative methodologies.

Oklahoma’s record is especially alarming, given the 11 death row exonerations since 1981. This has instigated discussions among Republican legislators about the potential implementation of a death penalty moratorium.

In Dority’s situation, he asserts he was unfairly targeted by an overambitious sheriff and a prosecutor who were desperate to solve the 1997 murder of Mitchell Nixon. Nixon was discovered brutally killed.

In 2014, the case was revisited, leading to a coerced confession from Rex Robbins, according to Andrea Miller, legal director of the Oklahoma Innocence Project. Though Robbins later pleaded guilty to Nixon’s manslaughter, he accused Dority, who then was imprisoned on a separate charge. However, Dority maintained his innocence and presented evidence that he was apprehended on the murder day.

Contrarily, the jury was swayed by Robbins’ confession and a claim from a police informant about Dority. This resulted in Dority’s conviction of first-degree murder with a recommendation of a life sentence without parole.

Years into his sentence, while others expended their federal COVID-19 relief aid on prison commissary, Dority hired a private investigator, Bobby Staton. Staton, predominantly an insurance fraud investigator, perceived several inconsistencies in Dority’s case.

Key breakthroughs were made when Staton and a student from the Oklahoma Innocence Project, Abby Brawner, met Robbins, who then withdrew his previous statement against Dority. Another pivotal moment was when it was revealed that the police informant did not reside at the location he had indicated, leading to the case’s dismissal.

The judge criticized Dority’s initial lawyers for this oversight and granted the prosecution a 90-day window to reconsider retrial. Despite this, Dority remains unfazed, expressing confidence in his innocence.

Sequoyah County District Attorney Jack Thorp and former Sheriff Ron Lockhart did not comment when approached by The Big Big News. However, Assistant District Attorney James Dunn, now managing the case, expressed his agreement with the judge’s decision. Dunn emphasized the importance of ensuring justice and that the true culprits remain at large.

Currently, Dority is adapting to modern technologies and expresses gratitude to both Staton and the Innocence Project. He believes his experience symbolizes a larger issue of wrongful incarcerations in Oklahoma and stresses the need for corrective actions.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about wrongful conviction

More about wrongful conviction

• National Registry of Exonerations
• Oklahoma Innocence Project at Oklahoma City University
• Issues with the U.S. Legal System
• Overview of Death Row Exonerations
• John Grisham’s “The Innocent Man” on Netflix