Free After Wrongful Incarceration on Death Row

My dad, Lamont Hunter, was wrongfully convicted of murder and rape and sent to Ohio’s death row when I was a child. After new evidence of his innocence was recently presented to the courts, the prosecutor's office agreed to vacate his conviction and he was released, having served nearly 18 years in prison. I am seeking support for my dad as he begins the new chapter of his life beyond bars.

The Lamont Hunter I Know

My dad is so many things to so many people. Although not my biological father, he entered my life and helped raise me when I was just a baby. He does not hesitate to claim me and my siblings as his own children. In fact, if anyone asks me about my dad, I will say that I have a Dad that Made Me and a Dad that Raised Me.

Even while on death row, he did everything he could to be there for his family and friends. He checked in with us every day (usually many times each day), staying on top of the lives of his seven children so he could participate as much as possible in celebrations like graduations, weddings, and grandchildren’s births. When I went into premature labor last year and had an emergency C-section, my dad never missed a beat. He called to check on me throughout my 48 hours of labor. And being behind bars didn’t stop him from knowing my favorite color, my goals and dreams, my husband’s favorite football teams and birthday, and what my daughter likes and dislikes. When he walked out of jail and embraced my daughter for the first time, it was one of the happiest moments of my life.

But there are some things he can never get back, like the death of his father while he was incarcerated, and the entire childhood of his youngest daughter, who was only an infant when he was arrested and graduated from high school just before he was released.

My dad is truly a wonderful person. He always maintained he was innocent, and today, the truth is out.

The Legal Story

In 2006, the 3-year-old son of my dad's girlfriend tragically died after falling down a flight of stairs while my dad was in another part of the house with my baby sister. Police and prosecutors did not believe him when he explained the accident and sought the death penalty against him. They convicted him of rape and murder in 2007 and sent him to death row. Then, in April of 2023, the prosecutors agreed that his convictions and death sentence should be overturned! After entering a plea to child endangerment and involuntary manslaughter to obtain his freedom, my dad was given a time-served sentence and walked out of jail on June 15, 2023.

Having gone through so many twists and turns in the courts, my dad’s case is complicated. But here is a short summary. His convictions were in large part due to the testimony of a coroner who ruled the death a homicide and found rectal injuries she thought were intentionally inflicted. But my dad’s appellate lawyers discovered that the coroner had not considered all of the relevant evidence. When they shared this evidence with her, she changed her official opinion. Once she saw photographs of the scene and staircase, she determined that what my dad said about the fall down the stairs was consistent with the injuries sustained, meaning she considered the cause of death not to be homicide. And, after seeing medical records showing hospital staff made three unsuccessful attempts to take a temperature with a rectal thermometer – which matched up exactly with the three rectal puncture wounds she had discovered during her autopsy – she testified that these injuries were inflicted in the ER, not by my dad. Two other doctors who reviewed the records agreed that no rape occurred and the injuries were consistent with an accidental fall down the stairs.

Pressing Needs

As a recently released prisoner, my dad needs money for a place to live, utilities, food, clothing, furniture, transportation, and physical and mental health support. Our family never wavered in our support for him and we are doing all we can, but none of us have room in our homes to permanently house another adult. Since getting out, he’s been taking turns staying with various family members and is seeking the stability of his own space to live and work on his adjustment to society.

In addition, due to poor medical care in prison, he suffers from a knee injury that limits the type of jobs he can perform. My dad did all he could while incarcerated to stay up on his skills and education, but death row inmates are given almost no opportunities for development, and it will take time to catch up after being gone for so long.

Most of us cannot even imagine coming home after nearly two decades in prison. There are so many changes and challenges in adapting to the new chapter in his life, and I want to take some of the pressing financial responsibilities off his mind and ease the burden of reentry so he can finally heal the wounds inflicted by his wrongful conviction.

My dad is a wonderful person, a loving father, a caring son and brother, and a treasured friend. He was wrongfully convicted and placed on death row, and we have endured so much over the past two decades. I am kindly asking anyone who can help right this wrong and get my dad back on his feet to support him.