Keonte Rex had had three run-ins with the law and had been wrongfully convicted twice.

The first, when he was 4'11 and mistaken for a robber that was 6' tall.

While on parole for Juvi, Keonte worked with a youth group mentoring troubled teens,

one of whom was an illiterate weed dealer named Kurtel Walker.

One of Kurtel's customers was the manager of a Red Decentre who handled the business's

bank deposits.

The pair had crafted a scheme in which the customer would settle a $2,500 weed debt

by handing over the Red Decentre deposit bag to Kurtel and then claiming that he had been

robbed.

On June 28, 2004, Keonte Rex was on his way to six flags with his children's mother,

a friend and Kurtel.

But before getting on the road, the group made a stop near the Red Decentre where unbeknownst

to the others, Kurtel met up with his customer to follow through with their plot.

Taking a bit too long, the other three almost left without him, but Kurtel caught up with

them, making a big scene in the process.

When the police arrived to investigate the stage robbery, a concerned passerby who

saw Kurtel screaming and running after the car gave the police the license plate number.

Even though Keonte had none of the money and wasn't involved in any way, one off-hand

rebar in the interrogation room sent a racist cop on a mission to pin the entire crazy

scenario on him.

Fulsified evidence made the misdemeanor of felony and put the money in Keonte's possession.

A statement was coerced, prepared and signed by the illiterate Kurtel, and even when

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