An innocent man is serving 35 years in prison because the criminal justice system refuses to admit it convicted the wrong person. At just 24 years old, Justen Couram was sentenced for a crime he did not commit. On December 30, 2021, a young African American man in his early twenties was tragically shot and killed in Newark, New Jersey. Months later, local authorities charged Justen Couram with the crime. Although a conviction was secured, the facts make clear that an innocent man was wrongfully convicted.

Before his incarceration, Justen was a hardworking young man employed at Domino’s Pizzeria in Hillside, New Jersey. He had also previously worked at Eagle Rock Studios and Tyler Perry Studios in Georgia. A proud graduate of Hillside High School in Hillside, New Jersey, Justen was not only an excellent student but also a standout athlete. As captain and quarterback of the Hillside High School Comets football team, he demonstrated extraordinary athletic ability and leadership, helping lead his team to three state titles. He was a role model in his community with a bright future ahead of him.

On August 1, 2020, Justen’s life changed forever. While returning from summer vacation, he was ambushed and shot six times — including once in the left side of his head. He survived, but the injuries were catastrophic. Doctors were forced to remove part of the left side of his skull, later replacing it with a cranial prosthetic. He remained hospitalized for months, spending part of that time in a coma. The traumatic brain injury left him with severe physical and neurological impairments, as well as PTSD. He had to relearn basic functions such as walking and speaking, enduring extensive rehabilitation simply to regain a fraction of his former abilities.

Ten months into this grueling recovery, Justen was arrested and charged with the December 30, 2021 murder.

On October 29, 2023, Justen exercised his constitutional right to trial and was represented by attorney Hassen Abdellah, Esq. However, critical medical evidence and expert testimony were not presented to the jury. The extent of Justen’s brain injury — including the removal of a significant portion of his left skull and damage to the left hemisphere — directly impacts motor control on the right side of the body, speech, planning, coordination, and sensory function. These injuries raise profound questions about his physical ability to carry out the acts alleged. Yet the jury was never fully informed of this scientific and medical evidence.

Additionally, one of the strongest protections in the American justice system is the alibi defense — proof that a person was elsewhere when a crime occurred. Evidence that could have supported Justen’s innocence was not fully investigated or presented. The failure to introduce crucial medical documentation, expert analysis, and potentially exculpatory evidence deprived Justen of a fair opportunity to defend himself.

Today, a young father is behind bars, separated from his three-year-old child and his family. Instead of rebuilding his life and continuing his rehabilitation, he is serving decades in prison for a crime he maintains he did not commit.

We are asking for your support in the fight to vindicate Justen Couram. We call for a thorough review of his case, full consideration of the medical and alibi evidence, and immediate action to correct this injustice. Justen deserves the chance to return home, reunite with his child and family, and work toward rebuilding his life through programs such as the New Jersey Re-Entry Corporation. Justice must not only be pursued — it must be done correctly.

Please sign this petition and stand with us in demanding accountability, fairness, and freedom for Justen Couram.

#FREEJUSTENCOURAM