On November 21st, 1997, a Suffolk County Virginia man known for drug dealing and gambling named Gene Artis and his sister, Yvonne, were both fatally shot in front of Yvonne's six-year-old son, Trayvon.

The boy was discovered in his blood-soaked t-shirt and underwear outside of the house shortly after the shooting around 10 p.m.

Trayvon gave a very descriptive police report, but later became unable to remember the details of

the tragic event in a court of law. However, Gene Artis's girlfriend and several other associates

began making police statements that named another man involved in the drug trade,

Larico Kearney, collectively saying that he shot Gene to recover a large gambling loss.

Shortly before his trial, another drug dealer claimed that Larico had plotted to rob

Gene artists of the gambling score in order to repay him for a drug debt.

Lerico was convicted, but a constitutional violation triggered a new trial

in which three new witnesses joined the Commonwealth's case.

With this many people willing to testify,

revealing the statements of the only person who actually saw the murders

wouldn't even have seemed like it was necessary.

But this is wrongful conviction.

Welcome back to wrongful conviction. Today we have another case out of Virginia, which again,

the entire substance of the state's case was built upon the words of incentivized witnesses,

receiving leniency on their own charges, by the way, all while ignoring the only actual

credible witness and the most likely suspect. Meanwhile, the man who they focused on instead is calling in today

over 25 long years later from Greensville Correctional Facility in Virginia. Larico Kearney,

I'm sorry you're with us today under the circumstances, but all of us here at Wrongful

Conviction are happy and honored that you're joining us today. Thank you all, just for giving me

this opportunity, you know, to share my story.

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