Falsely Incarcerated

Jermaine Smothers has been in prison for 22 years for a crime he did not commit. On May 11,1995, in the northeastern section of Oceanside, California, Jermaine and four of his friends were chased without provocation by an unknown gunman while walking down an alley to a nearby park. As the young man chased them he reached in his waistband as if he had a weapon. They feared for their lives. As Jermaine's group ran out of the alley into nearby apartments, Jermaine heard a series of gunshots.

The real danger to Jermaine was not just the gunman in the alley, but rather the legal system that found him guilty of murder. There was neither DNA nor a weapon found. Even though Jermaine passed a polygraph test and was not involved in the crime in any way, he remains imprisoned as innocent man charged with murder. Evidence presented at the trial showed that the deceased possessed a weapon and chased Jermaine's group with it. There were two witnesses who identified Jermaine as being the shooter. One was more than two football fields away and describes the scene; which contradicted the physical evidence. Furthermore Jermaine’s appearance on the day in question wasn't his description at all. The second witness described his description erroneously and was told by another witness that it was Jermaine but she didn't believe it. Also the prosecution presented numerous uncharged crimes that had nothing to do with Jermaine but was able to sway the jury to think otherwise. Because of this so called evidence Jermaine Smothers Sr. was convicted of 1st degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. The two witnesses have since recanted there testimonies. Prosecution insisted that Jermaine take a polygraph test which he did and passed; unfortunately the prosecution decided not to use it in court. There is also evidence that someone else is the shooter; which the California Innocence Project is currently perusing. The Prosecution knowingly excluded the sole black juror leaving Jermaine Smothers with an all-white jury.

My only child is my son, Jermaine, Jr. he is 19 years old now, so I've missed all but eight months of his life. Before coming to prison, I was working and taking care of my family. I was trying to turn my life around for him and my family. I wasn't perfect but I never murdered anyone. I was extremely close to my mother; she was my favorite girl until she passed from cancer in 2008. One of the hardest times I had to face while in prison was not being able to say goodbye and her not seeing me walk out these gates. Not being able to raise my son is equally hard. Continue to follow Jermaine’s story and spread the word.

Please sign Jermaine Smothers’ petition. Thank you.