Man sues Memphis after spending 20 years in prison for a robbery he didn't commit

In Memphis, Tennessee, Artis Whitehead, a 61-year-old Black man, filed a federal lawsuit after spending more than two decades in prison for a robbery he did not commit. He was convicted in 2003 and sentenced to an extraordinary 249 years based on what he claims was fabricated evidence from the Memphis Police Department. In December 2023, a Memphis judge overturned his conviction, establishing that there was no physical evidence linking Whitehead to the robbery of B.B. King's Blues Club in 2002. The judge concluded that police officers fabricated information, including False witness identifications and coerced an anonymous tip from a suspect in other crimes, leading to Whitehead's False conviction. The incident at B.B. King's occurred on May 9, 2002, when an armed robber threatened staff and customers, failing to access the club's safe before taking hostages. This trauma was compounded for Whitehead when he was later identified by police as the perpetrator after several individuals had been coerced into providing False statements against him. The officers allegedly coerced a man detained for other robberies to fabricate evidence by offering payment and using an officer's phone to call in a tip that implicated Whitehead. Judge's findings revealed a significant discrepancy between the profile of the actual robber and Whitehead. Arguments presented during Whitehead's trial indicated that the actual robber was shorter and slimmer than Whitehead, who is 6 feet tall and muscular. Furthermore, the judge noted that there was no proof that Whitehead had ever been to Beale Street or that he had any connection to B.B. King’s venue. These pivotal facts highlighted the wrongful nature of his conviction and paint a disturbing larger picture of the Memphis Police Department's practices. The lawsuit comes in the backdrop of a national conversation about police accountability, particularly following the high-profile case of Tyre Nichols, who died early in 2023 after being brutalized by police officers. The U.S. Department of Justice is currently investigating the Memphis Police Department for misconduct amid these recent events. Whitehead's case, as stated in his lawsuit, is portrayed as a symptom of a broader issue within police practices, emphasizing that wrongful convictions such as his are not uncommon. His legal battle seeks justice not only for his wrongful imprisonment but also to challenge systemic failings within law enforcement that led to life-altering consequences for innocent individuals.