“I thought the police would realize their mistake.” – Mike Crump

Michael “Mike” Crump was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1996 in Virginia and sentenced to 40 years in prison at the age of 19 based on a cross-racial misidentification by an eyewitness who was present in a home when an intruder suddenly burst in and shot the victim, Eric “Nike” Jones. 

You can read Mike’s own description of his wrongful conviction, Part 1, which was presented by the Death Row Soul Collective on Facebook on March 11, 2022:

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Part 1 - That One Trip To The Police Precinct

Mike speaks...

The date was October 13, 1995, and I was 18 years old.

I received a call from my cousin, saying that police wanted to speak to me. They had just cuffed her son after mistaking him for me. My cousin told the officers that she would pass on a message and let me know they were looking for me.

After the call from my cousin, I went straight to the police precinct. I had no idea why police wanted to speak to me, but I had nothing to hide, so I went there thinking I just needed to clear up whatever the confusion was, and then I could carry on with my day as normal.

When I reached the precinct, I was told to take a seat. After a short wait, a uniformed officer came out to speak to me and asked me to follow him to a locked corridor. The officer proceeded to ask several times if I knew why police wanted to speak to me. Each time he asked, I told him that I did not know why police would want to talk to me; that I did not have a clue what I was there for.

It was at that point that the officer produced an arrest warrant with my name on it...for first degree murder!

You cannot even begin to describe the shock I felt at that moment. My heart stopped, my head was spinning, and I felt like I was going to be sick. It was as if I had suddenly been transported into a really bad dream...a nightmare…

Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t perfect. I have always been honest about that, but I had never harmed another human being, let alone taken a life. I was not a violent person.. In fact, I loved people. Murder was an act that I couldn’t even comprehend, let alone carry out.

Despite protesting my innocence, the officer told me that homicide detectives wanted to talk to me. I explained to the officer I couldn’t help the detectives. I didn’t know what happened that night. I was not there. I had never heard of the victim, whose name I learnt was Eric Jones, also known as “Nike”. I knew his family must have been devastated by his tragic loss. I felt so bad for them, but I was not responsible for taking his life. I didn’t even know him!

I wanted to leave, but that wasn’t an option. Me protesting my innocence was falling on deaf ears. I was in a locked corridor and I was under suspicion for murder. The officer told me that I had two options; that I either spoke to the detectives, or I would be arrested.

I had no choice. I agreed to speak to the detectives… Then started the next part of my nightmare…

In an interview room, I repeated to the two detectives that I knew nothing about the murder of Nike. I was not involved. I did not know who had ended Nike's life, but I knew I was not responsible.

The detectives told me they didn’t believe me. They told me they had an eyewitness- someone had identified me as the person who was there that night. The eyewitness had said I was the one who pulled the trigger, and taken Nike’s life in the most heinous way possible.

I was in shock as they continued to insist I was lying. They said that they knew I was responsible for Nike’s death, and that I needed to tell the truth.

I told them over and over that I was already telling them the truth…but they weren’t listening.

Despite doing everything I could to convince the detectives they had the wrong person, I was arrested for Nike’s murder that day, and immediately transported to jail.

At just 18 years of age, I had been ripped away from my mom and two sisters, but I reassured myself that the police would realize their mistake and release me. They would arrest the real culprit and apologise for accusing me of the most despicable crime ever- a crime which ended another young man’s life way too soon. I didn’t think for a second I would ever be convicted. How could I when I had the truth on my side?

I didn’t know it then, but that one day back in October 1995 ended up shaping my life forever, and it will continue to shape my life until I am able to rectify the injustice that happened to both me and Nike.

I had no idea that one trip to the police precinct to clear my name would put me in the fight for my life, and I had no idea that I wouldn’t be going home for a very long time.

* At the age of just 18 years old, Michael Crump was arrested and wrongfully convicted of the tragic murder of 21-year-old Eric “Nike” Jones in Virginia after an eyewitness misidentified Mike due to his hoodie.

* Please sign and share this petition, which the nonprofit UNCUFF THE INNOCENT will be using to support Michael Crump's case for freedom by urging Virginia’s Governor and Attorney General to investigate his wrongful conviction.

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#InnocenceMatters