Natlie Figgers logged 2,000 hours working for free to exonerate Thomas Raynard James after misidentification and suspect police work sent him to prison in Florida.
Thomas Raynard James had been in prison 30 years by the time Natlie Figgers, a lawyer only two years out of law school, was approached by friends of his who were raising money for his defense in 2020.behind bars for a crime he did not commitThomas Raynard James had been in prison 30 years by the time Natlie Figgers, a lawyer only two years out of law school, was approached by friends of his who were raising money for his defense in 2020.
She banged on doors and rang doorbells. She poured over heaps of paperwork. She cold-called people who testified in the 1990 murder of Francis McKinnon and others related to the case, driving hundreds of miles to gather information and talk to at least 75 people about the case in person. She said she logged more than 2,000 hours researching and interviewing people to build James’ case, pushing aside the car accident and company formation cases she normally takes on.
The reality was another man named Thomas James lived nearby and had a violent criminal past. He was also friends with Vincent Cephas Williams, the other man convicted of robbing McKinnon that night. The Coral Gables police learned those names through a tip line. When they searched “Thomas James” in their criminal database, they instead found Thomas Raynard James, who “toiled in the drug trade,” James said, and had a gun possession charge.
Diplomas belonging to Thomas Raynard James earned while in prison layoff a table at his home in Miami, Florida United States, June 24, 2022.“She didn’t want to give any statements,” Figgers said of Wilson. “She didn’t want to talk to people for years. When I went to interview her, she cracked the door open. I knew at that time she was giving me an opportunity to show her why she should do the right thing. It was such an emotional point for me, I couldn’t help but cry to her.
James remembered feeling deliriously happy and relieved. He told NBC News, “If a person doesn’t allow the worst thing that can happen to get the best of him … ” His voice trailed off.