A Detroit man, Quinton Jones-Whitaker, was exonerated after more than 12 years in prison for carjacking, armed robbery, and felony firearm possession, following new evidence and investigations led by the Michigan Innocence Clinic and the Wayne County Conviction Integrity Unit.

The exoneration came as a result of a collaborative effort between the Michigan Innocence Clinic and the Wayne County CIU that uncovered the new evidence and prompted the review.

The case highlights flaws in relying on a single eyewitness identification, especially when the witness had prior ties to the defendant, underscoring broader concerns about eyewitness testimony in wrongful convictions.

Student attorneys Maxime Legros and Riley Segal, rising third-year law students at the University of Michigan, conducted the case remotely by phone and mail due to Jones-Whitaker’s incarceration in the Upper Peninsula.

New evidence includes a secretly recorded phone confession from one of the true perpetrators, strengthened by additional witnesses and a fingerprint from a car tied to a cousin of one identified perpetrator.

Jones-Whitaker, who was 20 at his conviction and is now 33, had his convictions vacated by the Third Circuit Court of Michigan on June 25, 2026, following reviews launched in 2019 after his mother’s outreach.

He learned of his exoneration on the day of his parole release and expressed a focus on rebuilding his life and pursuing a career with his family.

The Michigan Innocence Clinic and CIU presented evidence identifying the actual perpetrators, including new witness testimony and a fingerprint match, undermining the original conviction linked to Jones-Whitaker.