Ricky Godfrey was released from prison back in April after serving 31 years for a crime he didn’t commit and while the 49-year-old is happy to be free, he continues fighting to clear his name.
He had just turned 18 when he was arrested for first degree murder and robbery. He said he and some friends were out selling drugs in Richmond when his friends got out of the car and one of them shot and killed a 60-year-old man.
“I didn’t see who shot a gun. I wasn’t aware who shot a gun until the front seat passenger began to question the actual suspect and ask ‘what did you do that for?’” he said.
But Godfrey said his friends pinned the crime on him and he suddenly found himself charged with murder.
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“They was trying to give me the death penalty. I went to trial for the death penalty,” he said. “To see my family through that my grandmother passed out in the court. She had her first seizure. Her whole life had never had a seizure in her life and he she had a seizure over that.”
A nearly-all white jury found him guilty and sentenced him to life without the possibility of parole.
“I knew in my heart I would get out of there someday, and I wouldn’t stop until I fought my way out of there,” said Godfrey.
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But decades later, two of the key witnesses recanted their testimony. One of them testifying the real killer pressured him to lie. He said he always regretted blaming Godfrey, “cause that man didn’t do it” he testified.
“He said he lied, and he felt bad, because he allowed someone to manipulate him to cast the blame on me for committing the crime that he knew I didn’t commit,” said Godfrey.
He said he’s learned to forgive and that it’s the criminal Justice system that let him down. He was offered a plea deal and he pled no contest to voluntary manslaughter and attempted robbery, leading to his release.
“I want justice for myself. I didn’t commit the crime that I was sent to prison for. So why did I have to plea out in order to come home to my family?” said Godfrey.
The DA’s office says that while resentencing was warranted, there was not a finding of factual innocence.
But Godfrey says he will continue to fight for full exoneration.
“Any type of injustice is wrong, and we need to speak out and we need to stand up against it because if we don’t, it’ll continue to happen,” he said.
While he’ll never get back the years he’s lost, Godfrey plans to make every moment going forward count.
“I was able to embrace my family. I was able to see my grandson for the first time, my daughter that I hadn’t seen since she was 3 years old,” he said. “So it was emotional. It was blessing, blessing.”
