People Who Were Incarcerated For Crimes They Didn’t Commit

His Story Was Made Into A Bestseller By John Grisham

While in jail, Willamson contacted the Innocence Project. DNA testing was granted in 1988, proving that neither the semen nor hair at the scene matched Fritz or Williamson. Interestingly, the DNA results did match a man named Glenn Gore, who testified as a witness at Williamson’s trial. During his time in prison, Williamson had been within five days of execution. His and Fritz’s story became the subject of John Grisham’s first nonfiction book, “The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town.” It became a bestseller. Willamson died at the age of 51 in a nursing home while battling cirrhosis of the liver.