Wrongfully Convicted: A Decade Behind Bars | The Venting Vault Ep 7

Murray Lee Blackwell Jr., a resident of Harlingen, Texas, lost ten years of his life in prison. He was wrongfully incarcerated at the age of 17 for a crime he did not commit.In 2004, Blackwell was standing outside his home with his former girlfriend when a lost pizza delivery man pulled up to ask for directions. Blackwell informed the delivery man that they did not know where the location was. The delivery man ignored Blackwell’s response and asked his girlfriend again. Blackwell told him again that they did not know. The frustrated delivery man called him the “N” word, so Blackwell punched him. The delivery man admits Blackwell did not try to take his pizza or money, yet authorities upgraded the charge of assault to attempted robbery because they believed he would have robbed the delivery man if he had not driven away. The encounter landed Blackwell in prison from 2005 to 2015. PTSD along with the felony conviction have made adjusting to life after prison difficult for Blackwell.