Through the Institute for Actual Innocence clinic at the University of Richmond, Richmond Law staff and students were part of the legal team that secured a life-altering victory for Marvin Grimm, who was unanimously awarded a writ of actual innocence by the Virginia Court of Appeals in June. New evidence and DNA testing led the court to fully exonerate him of the crime for which he was convicted in 1976.

With her students and lawyers at the Innocence Project and Arnold & Porter, professor Mary Kelly Tate, who leads the clinic, spent 13 years reinvestigating the case, successfully seeking new DNA testing and, on the basis of his innocence, advocating for Grimm’s 2020 parole.

According to Tate, the case contained several problematic issues including coercive interrogation tactics, a poorly executed investigation, a rush to judgment, and unreliable physical evidence.

Grimm spent 45 years in prison for this crime. After being granted parole in 2020, additional DNA testing was done that ultimately led to the [exoneration].

“Though he can never get back those years, thanks to the tireless work of Professor Tate and that of her clinic students, Mr. Grimm can live out his days as an innocent man,” said Dean Wendy Perdue.