In 2011, the State of Massachusetts sentenced Rafael Martinez to life imprisonment, for a murder he never committed. He was convicted despite the absence of DNA confirmation, forensics, eyewitnesses, or physical evidence directly connecting him to the crime. 

Prior to his arraignment in 2011 and eventual conviction in April 2013, Rafael was attending college and had no interaction with the law. As a student athlete, he dreamed of going professional and had dreams to “help tackle the harder questions that plague our society such as Race, Equal opportunities for jobs and education and Criminal Justice Reform.” Things that he saw crippling his community as he was growing up.

On July 24th, 2010, a man was shot dead in the city of Lawrence.  Surveillance video caught a man exiting a car next to a store front where the crime took place. Although undeniable physical characteristics of the man are visible in the video, the video is not clear enough for a positive identification.  The case goes unsolved for ten months. Rafael was identified by a disgruntled acquaintance after the surveillance video was released to the public by the Lawrence Police.

New analysis of the surveillance video from the scene of the crime and testimony by an informant which identified the shooter, makes the Commonwealth’s case against Rafael problematic. Rafael’s Judicial Gatekeeper petition containing information justifying a new trial, has been denied twice. Rafael has maintained his innocence for the past 10 years and throughout his imprisonment at MCI-Norfolk. 

Link to Rafael’s recording released recently:

https://youtu.be/Yp1cRPWBjAk

Please sign the petition to urge DA Blodgett to free Rafael and investigate the real perpetrator. Don’t let an INNOCENT man spend the rest of his life in prison. Sign This Petition. Visit www.theinnocentconvicts.org to learn more.