Plot Synopsis

Using re-creations, first-person interviews, and archival photographs and video, VINDICATED explores the highs and the lows of various men and women who were unjustly sent to prison for crimes they did not commit. This half-hour series, which is hosted, narrated and executive produced by Morris Chestnut, lends a voice to the untold stories of those eventually exonerated of their crimes, while following some of the exonerees as they attempt to rejoin society, rebuild family relationships, and regain their trust in the justice system that undeniably failed them. Plus, VINDICATED is collaborating with "The Innocence Project," a national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals through DNA testing and reforming the criminal justice system to prevent further injustice. The two-part premiere features Tim Cole, a military veteran and Texas Tech student who was wrongfully accused and convicted of rape, dying of an asthma attack in prison after being incarcerated for 14 years. Ten years after his death, DNA evidence cleared Cole of his crime.
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VINDICATED returned for its second season on Sunday, July 13, 2014 at 10pm ET/PT, as BET showed a two-part season opener focused on 18-year-old Thomas Haynesworth, who was misidentified as a serial rapist while walking to the store in Richmond, VA, to buy groceries for his mother's Sunday dinner. Subsequent Season 2 episodes featured: Darryl Hunt, a kid born on the wrong side of the tracks, who became an easy target for accusations and prosecutorial misconduct in Winston-Salem, NC; 16-year-old Arthur Carmona, who visited his friend in Costa Mesa, CA, to play video games, and never imagined he would be mistakenly identified as an armed robber; and more people who were vindicated after spending time in prison.