¤[music ends]¤¤
00:00:16.58\00:00:18.58
>>John Bradshaw:
This is It Is Written.
00:00:19.51\00:00:21.48
I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me.
00:00:21.52\00:00:24.39
It's a great
American tragedy, really.
00:00:24.42\00:00:27.99
Maybe the greater
part of the tragedy
00:00:28.02\00:00:29.76
is that this story
is not entirely unique,
00:00:29.79\00:00:32.79
but this is also the story
of redemption, vindication,
00:00:32.83\00:00:37.23
and, ultimately, victory.
00:00:37.27\00:00:39.87
¤[soft music]¤
00:00:39.90\00:00:40.90
There are roughly 1.4
million people in prison
00:00:40.94\00:00:44.57
in the United States of America.
00:00:44.61\00:00:46.24
There are another 3/4 of
a million in American jails.
00:00:46.27\00:00:49.31
That's well over 2
million people incarcerated.
00:00:49.34\00:00:53.08
One quarter of all
the incarcerated people
00:00:53.11\00:00:55.82
in the world are
in the United States.
00:00:55.85\00:00:58.82
Now, there's no
question people want and deserve
00:00:58.85\00:01:01.82
safe communities.
00:01:01.86\00:01:03.19
Those who fall foul of
the law should pay their debt
00:01:03.22\00:01:05.96
to society. Who
would argue that?
00:01:05.99\00:01:08.46
But what about those who
are wrongfully convicted?
00:01:08.50\00:01:11.70
Those who are
sentenced to prison
00:01:11.73\00:01:13.84
when they should not have been?
00:01:13.87\00:01:15.97
Unfortunately, it happens.
00:01:16.00\00:01:18.81
In the 1960s, professional
boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter
00:01:18.84\00:01:22.78
was convicted
twice of a triple murder
00:01:22.81\00:01:26.11
and spent 19 years in prison.
00:01:26.15\00:01:28.75
But he was innocent.
00:01:28.78\00:01:30.25
Kevin Strickland
was imprisoned in 1979
00:01:30.29\00:01:32.75
after being found
guilty of a triple murder.
00:01:32.79\00:01:35.36
He was exonerated and
freed from prison...in 2021.
00:01:35.39\00:01:40.33
He spent 42 years
in prison for a crime
00:01:40.36\00:01:42.96
the justice system
says he did not commit.
00:01:43.00\00:01:47.07
Now, that's not to
say the justice system
00:01:47.10\00:01:49.44
always gets it wrong.
00:01:49.47\00:01:50.61
That's simply not the
case. But it does happen.
00:01:50.64\00:01:54.61
And that it
happens is a tragedy.
00:01:54.64\00:01:57.18
¤[music fades]¤
00:01:57.21\00:01:58.81
>>Rodney Dunneback: In
the beginning, I had no idea
00:01:58.85\00:02:00.65
why Gil was in prison.
00:02:00.68\00:02:01.78
You really don't
ask people that, uh,
00:02:01.82\00:02:04.25
while they're in prison.
Sometimes they'll volunteer it.
00:02:04.29\00:02:06.22
Uh, I had no
idea why he was there
00:02:06.25\00:02:09.22
or how long he was
going to be in there.
00:02:09.26\00:02:11.09
But as things unfolded,
uh, I learned that he had,
00:02:11.13\00:02:14.83
at 23 years of
age, had, uh, been, uh,
00:02:14.86\00:02:19.33
convicted of murder and
sentenced to life in prison.
00:02:19.37\00:02:22.94
>>John: Gil is Gilbert Poole.
00:02:23.94\00:02:27.58
>>Marla Mitchell-Cichon: Mr.
Poole was charged with murder
00:02:27.61\00:02:30.35
in 1988.
00:02:30.38\00:02:32.11
In June of 1988, a Oakland
County employee was murdered,
00:02:32.15\00:02:37.85
um, after he left a bar,
00:02:37.89\00:02:39.99
and there were a handful
of individuals in the bar
00:02:40.02\00:02:43.46
that said he left
with an unknown individual.
00:02:43.49\00:02:47.03
They got
descriptions from witnesses.
00:02:47.03\00:02:49.20
They put composite
drawings in the newspaper.
00:02:49.23\00:02:52.00
They solicited information,
interviewed witnesses, um, but,
00:02:52.03\00:02:56.47
um, none of that investigation
led to a suspect, um,
00:02:56.50\00:02:59.74
and the case went cold
basically in July or August.
00:02:59.77\00:03:03.98
Um, so within a
month or two of the murder,
00:03:04.01\00:03:06.35
they had no further leads.
00:03:06.38\00:03:08.05
Mr. Poole was living
in Pontiac, Michigan,
00:03:08.08\00:03:10.75
in June of 1988, and he left
the state shortly thereafter.
00:03:10.79\00:03:14.86
He moved to North Carolina
with his then-girlfriend,
00:03:14.89\00:03:18.19
Connie Cook,
and it was Miss Cook
00:03:18.23\00:03:20.60
who then in
November of 1988 reached out
00:03:20.63\00:03:24.00
to the North Carolina police
and told them that her boyfriend
00:03:24.03\00:03:27.47
had confessed a murder to
her that occurred in Pontiac.
00:03:27.50\00:03:32.01
So that's how, um, Mr.
Poole became a suspect.
00:03:32.04\00:03:36.24
Um, he was
subsequently arrested,
00:03:36.28\00:03:38.81
extradited to Michigan.
00:03:38.85\00:03:40.68
The detectives in the
case solicited the assistance
00:03:40.72\00:03:44.29
of a forensic odontologist by
the name of Dr. Allan Warnick,
00:03:44.32\00:03:48.72
who took dental
impressions of Mr. Poole.
00:03:48.76\00:03:51.39
He compared those impressions
00:03:51.43\00:03:53.56
to what appeared to be
a bruise or a bite mark.
00:03:53.60\00:03:56.43
Um, to this day,
we don't know for sure
00:03:56.46\00:03:57.73
if it was even a bite mark,
00:03:57.77\00:03:59.33
um, but certainly a
mark on the victim's arm.
00:03:59.37\00:04:01.84
Dr. Warnick concluded that
the mark on the victim's arm
00:04:01.87\00:04:05.14
was made by Mr. Poole's teeth.
00:04:05.17\00:04:07.11
So that was the
second piece of evidence
00:04:07.14\00:04:09.21
that was used
against Mr. Poole at trial.
00:04:09.24\00:04:12.35
And then finally, the
girlfriend, obviously,
00:04:12.38\00:04:14.45
came to trial, testified, um,
about the so-called confession,
00:04:14.48\00:04:20.09
and witnesses in the
bar-- who again had never,
00:04:20.12\00:04:23.56
to, to this day, we
have no reason to believe
00:04:23.59\00:04:26.03
they've ever seen Mr.
Poole in their lives--
00:04:26.06\00:04:28.56
identified Mr. Poole
in court as the individual
00:04:28.60\00:04:31.30
who left the
bar with the victim.
00:04:31.33\00:04:33.54
¤[music ends]¤¤
00:04:33.57\00:04:35.20
>>John: Gilbert,
thanks so much for joining me.
00:04:35.24\00:04:36.97
I really appreciate it.
00:04:37.01\00:04:38.14
>>Gilbert Poole: Uh,
you're welcome. Thank ya.
00:04:38.17\00:04:39.64
I'm glad to be here.
00:04:39.67\00:04:40.64
>>John: You were 22 years old.
00:04:40.68\00:04:41.81
You're minding
your own business,
00:04:41.84\00:04:42.88
living in North Carolina.
You'd been in Michigan.
00:04:42.91\00:04:45.38
There's...a knock at
the door of your life.
00:04:45.41\00:04:49.12
You are suspected of the
murder of a man you'd never met.
00:04:49.15\00:04:54.02
What does that do to you?
00:04:54.06\00:04:55.96
>>Gilbert: Yeah.
It, it takes you aback.
00:04:55.99\00:04:58.29
But, uh, at the time, I had
faith in the judicial system
00:04:58.33\00:05:02.50
and figured it's
going to be all right
00:05:02.53\00:05:04.10
because the truth will come
out and I'll be, uh, released.
00:05:04.13\00:05:09.10
>>John: Yeah, I, I think
it's pretty understandable
00:05:09.14\00:05:10.61
you might have had
faith in the judicial system,
00:05:10.64\00:05:13.24
uh, which, thankfully,
works a lot of the time.
00:05:13.27\00:05:15.61
But here's one of those
times it failed spectacularly.
00:05:15.64\00:05:18.31
You, you weren't at the bar
00:05:18.35\00:05:19.51
where the
unfortunate man had been.
00:05:19.55\00:05:21.25
You'd, you'd not met him.
00:05:21.28\00:05:22.98
Um, the evidence
didn't point to you.
00:05:23.02\00:05:26.89
>>Gilbert: Right.
00:05:26.92\00:05:28.02
>>John: And what goes
through your mind when you hear
00:05:28.06\00:05:29.46
the judge say, "Guilty,
and we're sentencing you
00:05:29.49\00:05:33.06
to life without the
possibility of parole"?
00:05:33.09\00:05:36.10
>>Gilbert: You know, uh...
00:05:37.10\00:05:39.83
it's like the world stopped
turning at that point. Um...
00:05:39.87\00:05:44.81
I, I didn't know what to do.
Um, tears welled up inside me.
00:05:44.84\00:05:49.08
Um, I did not have anybody in
the courtroom--because there was
00:05:49.11\00:05:52.51
no possibility I was
going to be convicted.
00:05:52.55\00:05:54.95
So I was standing alone,
a long ways away from home.
00:05:54.98\00:05:57.79
And, uh, I, I just
couldn't believe it.
00:05:57.82\00:06:01.66
>>John: "There
was no possibility
00:06:02.66\00:06:04.53
I was going to be convicted."
00:06:04.56\00:06:06.39
Well, Gilbert Poole
couldn't have been more wrong.
00:06:06.43\00:06:11.43
But he did have the
right to appeal his conviction,
00:06:11.47\00:06:14.00
and he did.
00:06:14.04\00:06:15.57
So what happened when
an innocent man appealed?
00:06:15.60\00:06:18.81
And where was
God in all of this?
00:06:18.84\00:06:21.94
I'll tell you in just a moment.
00:06:21.98\00:06:24.31
¤[music swells and ends]¤¤
00:06:24.35\00:06:31.35
>>Announcer: There is nothing
in this world more precious
00:06:33.56\00:06:35.72
than a meaningful
relationship with Jesus Christ.
00:06:35.76\00:06:38.73
Today's free
offer, "Steps to Christ,"
00:06:38.76\00:06:40.80
is one of the
best books ever written
00:06:40.83\00:06:42.63
on how to build a successful
relationship with Jesus
00:06:42.66\00:06:45.67
that will see you
through to eternity.
00:06:45.70\00:06:47.77
To receive your free copy,
00:06:47.80\00:06:48.87
call 800-253-3000
00:06:48.90\00:06:51.71
or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:06:51.74\00:06:55.14
Get "Steps to Christ" today,
00:06:55.18\00:06:57.11
800-253-3000
00:06:57.15\00:06:59.91
or online at iiwoffer.com.
00:06:59.95\00:07:02.98
>>John Bradshaw: Thanks for
joining me on It Is Written.
00:07:03.79\00:07:06.02
Charged with a
crime he didn't commit,
00:07:06.05\00:07:09.02
Gilbert Poole was
sentenced to life in prison
00:07:09.06\00:07:11.63
without the
possibility of parole.
00:07:11.66\00:07:14.13
We're going to learn
that while he was in prison,
00:07:14.20\00:07:16.10
Mr. Poole had a miraculous
conversion experience,
00:07:16.13\00:07:18.90
which ultimately helped
change the course of his life.
00:07:18.93\00:07:23.04
But, of course, this was
not the end of the story.
00:07:23.07\00:07:25.71
He still had the
appeals process to work through.
00:07:25.74\00:07:29.04
>>Gilbert Poole: Well,
the appeals process was,
00:07:29.08\00:07:31.51
in my mind, a joke
because every step of the way,
00:07:31.55\00:07:35.92
uh, it, it failed.
00:07:35.95\00:07:38.62
Uh, the attorney
didn't file an appeal.
00:07:38.65\00:07:41.76
His appeal that he was
forced to file afterwards
00:07:41.79\00:07:45.26
was lackluster at best.
00:07:45.29\00:07:47.73
Um, the courts would
not address my issues
00:07:47.76\00:07:51.70
that I was presenting,
00:07:51.73\00:07:53.27
uh, specifically as
I was--addressed them.
00:07:53.30\00:07:56.10
They should be giving
leeway because it's a prisoner
00:07:56.14\00:07:59.34
making his own
pleadings at this point.
00:07:59.37\00:08:01.91
But, uh, it just seemed like
it, all my points were ignored,
00:08:01.94\00:08:06.72
and, uh, they were
using circular logic.
00:08:06.75\00:08:10.59
It, it was just absolutely
frustrating, and I don't know
00:08:10.62\00:08:13.89
how anybody can navigate
that without an attorney.
00:08:13.92\00:08:18.23
>>John: Marla
Mitchell-Cichon was the director
00:08:18.26\00:08:20.70
of the Western
Michigan University
00:08:20.73\00:08:22.66
Cooley Law School
Innocence Project.
00:08:22.70\00:08:25.80
She spent 20 years working
with Gilbert Poole on his case.
00:08:25.83\00:08:30.54
>>Marla Mitchell-Cichon:
Mr. Poole wrote to us, um,
00:08:30.57\00:08:32.71
in 2002, about a year after our
clinic was started here at, uh,
00:08:32.74\00:08:37.21
Cooley Law School, and
our clinic was designed
00:08:37.25\00:08:40.15
to do post-conviction
work to assist prisoners
00:08:40.18\00:08:42.55
who are claiming
factual innocence.
00:08:42.58\00:08:44.49
Um, and the tool that we used
at that time to prove innocence
00:08:44.52\00:08:48.49
was post-conviction DNA testing.
00:08:48.52\00:08:50.73
I've screened probably
thousands of cases myself
00:08:50.76\00:08:53.43
to try to hone in
on, do these individuals,
00:08:53.46\00:08:56.33
um, meet our criteria?
00:08:56.36\00:08:57.77
Because it's really more about
meeting our criteria than it is,
00:08:57.80\00:09:00.94
"Are they factually innocent?"
Because we can't help everyone.
00:09:00.97\00:09:03.91
We need to know, is
there biological evidence,
00:09:03.94\00:09:06.44
um, that was collected
00:09:06.47\00:09:07.81
that potentially we
could find and test?
00:09:07.84\00:09:10.21
And then, more recently,
were there forensic practices
00:09:10.25\00:09:13.15
used in the case that we
can challenge as unreliable?
00:09:13.18\00:09:17.82
So, in Mr.
Poole's case he had both.
00:09:17.85\00:09:19.89
He had biological evidence
00:09:19.92\00:09:21.32
that was collected at the time
that, if tested, might identify,
00:09:21.36\00:09:25.59
um, someone
other than Mr. Poole,
00:09:25.63\00:09:27.46
who had never been identified
through any forensic practice,
00:09:27.50\00:09:30.50
um, in terms of the biological
evidence at the crime scene.
00:09:30.53\00:09:34.04
Um, and then later the
fact that his case involved
00:09:34.07\00:09:36.94
a bite mark was very important.
00:09:36.97\00:09:38.71
He would have been meeting
our criteria, given that, um,
00:09:38.74\00:09:41.84
in this particular
case the victim was murdered
00:09:41.88\00:09:44.61
with a small knife, there was
a chance that the perpetrator
00:09:44.65\00:09:47.52
would have left his DNA
behind at the crime scene,
00:09:47.55\00:09:50.45
and so we would have
been, obviously, interested
00:09:50.49\00:09:53.22
in finding that
evidence and DNA testing it.
00:09:53.25\00:09:56.19
There's usually not one
cause for a wrongful conviction;
00:09:56.22\00:09:59.26
there's usually multiple causes.
00:09:59.29\00:10:00.96
And Mr. Poole's case had a
number of factors showing up
00:10:00.96\00:10:04.90
as we gathered case
materials that suggested
00:10:04.93\00:10:07.57
that this is a
potentially innocent person.
00:10:07.60\00:10:11.24
>>John: Even though DNA
evidence wasn't being used
00:10:11.27\00:10:13.88
in trials in 1988, forensic
evidence definitely was.
00:10:13.91\00:10:19.28
At the crime scene,
where a man lost his life,
00:10:19.31\00:10:23.05
blood was discovered:
blood from the victim
00:10:23.08\00:10:26.15
and blood from someone else.
00:10:26.19\00:10:28.89
In 1988 the Michigan
State Police Crime Lab
00:10:28.92\00:10:31.63
evaluated those blood
samples and identified
00:10:31.66\00:10:35.06
a foreign blood sample--that
is, blood that didn't belong
00:10:35.10\00:10:39.00
to the victim of the crime
00:10:39.03\00:10:40.87
and that didn't
belong to Gilbert Poole.
00:10:40.90\00:10:43.64
That should settle it, right?
00:10:43.67\00:10:46.47
Not right.
00:10:46.51\00:10:47.68
That crucial evidence was
not presented before the jury.
00:10:47.71\00:10:51.38
And as problematic as that was,
00:10:51.41\00:10:54.55
it got even worse
for Gilbert Poole.
00:10:54.58\00:10:57.59
>>Marla: So we all know from
eighth grade science, right,
00:10:57.62\00:11:00.36
that science is you do an
experiment, you get results,
00:11:00.39\00:11:03.89
and you can replicate
those results consistently.
00:11:03.93\00:11:06.73
Bite mark comparison in the
context that we're discussing
00:11:06.76\00:11:10.03
has never been science.
00:11:10.07\00:11:12.37
Unfortunately, um, bite
mark impression comparison
00:11:12.40\00:11:17.07
has been used, um, in
probably thousands of cases,
00:11:17.11\00:11:21.84
and it probably
wasn't until the mid-2000s
00:11:21.88\00:11:26.01
when the National
Academy of Sciences clarified
00:11:26.05\00:11:29.02
that this was not reliable
science and should not be used
00:11:29.05\00:11:32.65
for the purpose of
identifying a particular person
00:11:32.69\00:11:35.62
or linking a particular
person to a crime scene--
00:11:35.66\00:11:38.73
which is exactly what
was done in Mr. Poole's case.
00:11:38.76\00:11:41.36
He essentially told
the jury, without a doubt,
00:11:41.40\00:11:44.37
without a human doubt, really,
00:11:44.40\00:11:46.53
those impressions
were made by Mr. Poole.
00:11:46.57\00:11:49.27
That type of testimony
would not be permitted, um,
00:11:49.30\00:11:52.71
by today's standards.
00:11:52.74\00:11:54.51
And it was in Mr.
Poole's case the only evidence
00:11:54.54\00:11:58.11
that tied him
to the crime scene.
00:11:58.15\00:12:00.52
This case is a lot
about the backstory,
00:12:00.55\00:12:02.98
meaning the key timeframe
and where the storyline began
00:12:03.02\00:12:06.52
was in a bar on a Sunday night.
00:12:06.55\00:12:09.59
Um, but what happened happened
a few miles away from that,
00:12:09.62\00:12:14.40
um, in a somewhat
of an abandoned area,
00:12:14.46\00:12:17.13
and no one witnessed this crime.
00:12:17.17\00:12:19.40
So, the only individual and
the only witness that linked
00:12:19.43\00:12:23.14
Mr. Poole definitively to the
crime scene was Allan Warnick.
00:12:23.17\00:12:27.84
If you were a juror and
you heard that some individuals
00:12:27.88\00:12:32.15
are identifying the man
sitting at the counsel table,
00:12:32.18\00:12:35.08
an ex-girlfriend who's
saying he admitted this to her,
00:12:35.12\00:12:38.12
a dentist, someone who
had a medical education,
00:12:38.15\00:12:41.92
say that without a doubt it
was Mr. Poole's teeth marks,
00:12:41.96\00:12:44.69
most jurors would find
that evidence very compelling.
00:12:44.73\00:12:48.23
And, um, obviously it was
very damaging to Mr. Poole.
00:12:48.26\00:12:52.67
>>John: So describe what
it's like inside the mind
00:12:52.70\00:12:54.80
of a young man, a
young man who has decided,
00:12:54.84\00:12:59.21
"This system has forsaken
me, and I'll never get out."
00:12:59.24\00:13:04.18
How hopeless does a man become?
00:13:04.21\00:13:06.38
>>Gilbert: Well,
it's beyond hopeless.
00:13:06.95\00:13:10.09
I mean, I would
wake up in the mornings--
00:13:10.12\00:13:13.42
and before I found God, I
would wake up in the mornings
00:13:13.46\00:13:17.53
and have to decide whether
or not I want to do this or not.
00:13:17.56\00:13:20.13
Do I want to finish this day?
00:13:20.16\00:13:22.10
Do I want to go
out and shake the fence
00:13:22.13\00:13:23.53
till they shoo me off of it?
00:13:23.57\00:13:25.37
It was pretty
desperate times, you know.
00:13:25.40\00:13:28.14
>>Rodney Dunneback: When
you walk through the yards
00:13:28.17\00:13:29.54
or, or anywhere out there,
00:13:29.57\00:13:32.04
there was not a lot
of smiles on the faces.
00:13:32.07\00:13:34.54
It's kind of a, uh,
prison atmosphere, shall I say?
00:13:34.58\00:13:40.28
I volunteer for prison
ministry because I realize
00:13:40.32\00:13:42.68
the great need there
is, uh, for prison ministry.
00:13:42.72\00:13:46.39
Uh, there's tens of thousands
of men right here in Michigan--
00:13:46.42\00:13:51.26
and women--who would
love to have someone come in
00:13:51.29\00:13:54.93
and tell them about Jesus.
00:13:54.93\00:13:57.03
>>John: So, you, you
were in prison for a crime
00:13:57.07\00:13:59.37
you didn't commit, you
knew you didn't commit,
00:13:59.40\00:14:01.44
but then the light
started to shine in.
00:14:01.47\00:14:04.04
Tell me what happened
00:14:04.07\00:14:05.17
that started to turn
things around for you.
00:14:05.21\00:14:07.11
>>Gilbert: I had to reevaluate
how I was living my life,
00:14:07.14\00:14:11.21
even inside prison, because, uh,
00:14:11.25\00:14:13.05
that was not
leading me anywhere.
00:14:13.08\00:14:14.82
And at the same
time I was being, um,
00:14:14.85\00:14:18.95
asked by other
prisoners to do Bible studies.
00:14:18.99\00:14:22.96
But these people had been
asking me to do Bible studies
00:14:22.99\00:14:25.66
for 25-30 years, and
I've always pushed them away.
00:14:25.69\00:14:31.50
But they've always came back.
00:14:31.53\00:14:33.70
For 30 years
they've always came back.
00:14:33.74\00:14:36.30
Well, when I decided to
reevaluate how I was living
00:14:36.34\00:14:39.81
my life in the prison, I said,
00:14:39.84\00:14:42.41
"Well, maybe this is something
I need to investigate."
00:14:42.44\00:14:46.78
And I got to reading it
and seeing the truth in it;
00:14:46.82\00:14:50.32
things started changing.
00:14:50.35\00:14:51.82
I gave up on my case,
and I turned it over to God.
00:14:51.85\00:14:54.72
I said, "I'm, I'm done. If
You want me out, I'll be out.
00:14:54.76\00:14:59.36
But You can use me in here."
00:14:59.39\00:15:01.43
And I started doing His work,
as best I could, in the prison.
00:15:01.46\00:15:06.47
>>John: And right
about that same time,
00:15:06.50\00:15:09.14
there were some legal scholars
who got involved with your case,
00:15:09.17\00:15:11.57
and the wheels
really started to turn.
00:15:11.61\00:15:13.88
>>Gilbert: Things
did start to turn around.
00:15:13.91\00:15:16.95
There was a new
development, and, uh,
00:15:16.98\00:15:20.08
DNA testing that allowed
them to take a closer look
00:15:20.12\00:15:23.45
at the DNA evidence that
they had, and we came up with
00:15:23.49\00:15:27.52
new evidence that, that
excluded me from the crime.
00:15:27.56\00:15:31.43
We had this, and we were
going to file back in court
00:15:31.46\00:15:34.30
and ask to have the case
revisited, but we didn't know
00:15:34.30\00:15:37.70
whether that was enough
to overturn the conviction,
00:15:37.73\00:15:41.24
that in itself, in isolation.
00:15:41.27\00:15:43.51
But then
something else happened.
00:15:43.54\00:15:46.27
The state attorney
general's office started
00:15:46.31\00:15:48.34
a conviction integrity
unit that covered my county.
00:15:48.38\00:15:51.75
My lawyer submitted
the application to them
00:15:51.78\00:15:54.68
with the new
evidence that we just got,
00:15:54.72\00:15:56.89
and my case was the first
case that they actually vetted,
00:15:56.92\00:16:01.29
and they went through
it for an entire year,
00:16:01.32\00:16:04.06
and at the end of that year,
00:16:04.09\00:16:07.13
they decided that I
was wrongfully convicted.
00:16:07.20\00:16:11.07
¤[soft orchestral music]¤
00:16:11.10\00:16:15.50
>>Marla: When it came to the
day to walk him out of prison,
00:16:15.54\00:16:18.51
not only were we so
ready [laughs] and, and happy
00:16:18.54\00:16:22.31
and thrilled, but it was a--oh!
00:16:22.34\00:16:25.78
Sorry, I'm getting
choked up now, but it was,
00:16:25.81\00:16:28.05
it was a great, it
was a great, great day.
00:16:28.08\00:16:30.99
Um, you know, it's like,
uh, it's so much hard work.
00:16:31.02\00:16:35.82
There's so many letdowns.
00:16:35.86\00:16:37.73
Um, he's such a good person.
00:16:37.76\00:16:40.90
So the day that he
walked out we had everything
00:16:40.93\00:16:42.90
in place for him, and
it was a beautiful day.
00:16:42.93\00:16:46.60
>>Rodney: As I watched
Gil walk across the grass, uh,
00:16:46.63\00:16:49.47
towards the pavilion, it
was a extremely emotional moment
00:16:49.50\00:16:54.48
for me, and, uh,
for a lot of people.
00:16:54.51\00:16:57.48
There were a lot of
tears flowing at that moment.
00:16:57.51\00:17:00.65
I kind of stood back
and let everybody else
00:17:00.68\00:17:03.12
and the media go crazy.
00:17:03.15\00:17:05.05
Uh, I was standing,
uh, back four or five feet,
00:17:05.09\00:17:08.06
and Gil finally laid eyes on me.
00:17:08.09\00:17:10.83
And he says,
"Rod!" And we embraced.
00:17:10.86\00:17:15.63
>>Gilbert: I was walking on air,
00:17:15.66\00:17:17.50
uh, didn't know what
to do, wide eyed, um--
00:17:17.53\00:17:22.34
if you can imagine, uh,
00:17:22.37\00:17:24.31
going to the amusement
park for the first time
00:17:24.34\00:17:26.27
and just seeing all
the wonders around you.
00:17:26.31\00:17:27.98
¤[soft music]¤
00:17:28.01\00:17:29.31
I didn't know what to do.
00:17:29.34\00:17:30.45
Didn't know how
to use a cell phone,
00:17:30.48\00:17:31.98
I'd never seen a
cell phone before.
00:17:32.01\00:17:34.15
I'm able to help others by
staying involved in the system,
00:17:34.18\00:17:37.82
staying involved
with the attorneys,
00:17:37.85\00:17:39.42
staying involved
with the state of Michigan
00:17:39.45\00:17:41.16
and their, uh,
forensics committees,
00:17:41.19\00:17:43.56
giving my testimony to
them so they can help stop
00:17:43.59\00:17:45.89
some of the
wrongful convictions.
00:17:45.93\00:17:47.56
Joined a band of other exonerees
00:17:47.60\00:17:49.63
and the National
Organization of Exonerees,
00:17:49.66\00:17:51.47
we've, uh, taken up
the task of helping others
00:17:51.50\00:17:54.34
that are wrongfully
convicted try to get out,
00:17:54.37\00:17:56.50
and once they're out,
00:17:56.54\00:17:57.54
helping them
transition into society.
00:17:57.57\00:17:59.37
There's endless work to be done.
00:17:59.41\00:18:02.21
Bad things
happen to good people.
00:18:02.24\00:18:04.31
And it could be
me; it could be you.
00:18:04.35\00:18:07.15
It could be anybody
walking down the street
00:18:07.18\00:18:09.02
that fall a victim to somebody
trying to solve a crime.
00:18:09.05\00:18:13.66
>>John: Are you angry
about what's happened?
00:18:13.69\00:18:16.29
>>Gilbert: No. It's, uh...
00:18:16.32\00:18:18.76
I, I was mad at
the courts, you know,
00:18:18.79\00:18:20.66
when they
wouldn't hear my appeals.
00:18:20.70\00:18:22.93
I was mad at my attorneys
when they wouldn't come see me
00:18:22.96\00:18:25.93
or wouldn't present
the issues that I wanted.
00:18:25.97\00:18:28.90
But I've had a
whole different attitude--
00:18:28.94\00:18:32.64
that I don't want
to be angry anymore.
00:18:32.67\00:18:35.18
That's all,
that's all behind me.
00:18:35.21\00:18:37.25
I'm tired of being
mad. Nobody likes to be mad.
00:18:37.28\00:18:40.48
So, when I wake
up in the morning,
00:18:40.52\00:18:42.08
I try to find the good in the
day and to find the best things
00:18:42.12\00:18:44.85
I can do today for me
and the people around me.
00:18:44.89\00:18:48.06
But really, it's not about me;
00:18:48.09\00:18:49.39
it's about the people around
me and what I can leave behind.
00:18:49.42\00:18:51.73
¤[music ends]¤¤
00:18:51.76\00:18:52.99
>>John: Now, you could
say that there are more people
00:18:53.03\00:18:54.86
stuck in prison than we realize,
00:18:54.93\00:18:57.83
and this affects you
and everyone you know.
00:18:57.87\00:19:02.57
We'll look at
that in just a moment.
00:19:02.60\00:19:04.81
¤[music swells and ends]¤¤
00:19:04.84\00:19:11.85
>>Announcer: There is nothing
in this world more precious
00:19:14.22\00:19:16.35
than a meaningful
relationship with Jesus Christ.
00:19:16.38\00:19:19.35
Today's free
offer, "Steps to Christ,"
00:19:19.39\00:19:21.46
is one of the
best books ever written
00:19:21.49\00:19:23.39
on how to build a successful
relationship with Jesus
00:19:23.43\00:19:26.29
that will see you
through to eternity.
00:19:26.33\00:19:28.33
To receive your free copy,
00:19:28.36\00:19:29.53
call 800-253-3000
00:19:29.56\00:19:32.30
or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:19:32.33\00:19:35.90
Get "Steps to Christ" today,
00:19:35.94\00:19:37.77
800-253-3000
00:19:37.81\00:19:40.61
or online at iiwoffer.com.
00:19:40.64\00:19:43.58
>>John Bradshaw: The prophet
Daniel writes authoritatively
00:19:44.45\00:19:47.22
about the rise and fall of
kingdoms, the fate of nations,
00:19:47.25\00:19:51.12
and the soon return of Jesus.
00:19:51.15\00:19:53.86
Join me for "Kingdom Come."
00:19:53.89\00:19:56.62
We'll witness the rise
and fall of global powers.
00:19:56.66\00:20:00.13
We'll understand symbols found
in the writings of the prophets.
00:20:00.16\00:20:04.20
And we'll learn how
Bible prophecy applies
00:20:04.23\00:20:06.80
to our current reality.
00:20:06.84\00:20:09.37
Waiting for the world
to get better seems futile.
00:20:09.40\00:20:12.67
We exist in the
midst of global confusion,
00:20:12.71\00:20:15.91
in a world wrestling
with the devastating effects
00:20:15.94\00:20:18.58
of sickness, war, and death.
00:20:18.61\00:20:21.72
Yet God encourages us:
"The dream is certain."
00:20:21.75\00:20:26.49
The
interpretation can be trusted.
00:20:26.52\00:20:29.52
Jesus is coming back
soon. The best is yet to come.
00:20:29.56\00:20:35.13
Don't miss "Kingdom Come"
00:20:35.16\00:20:37.03
as we explore
the book of Daniel.
00:20:37.07\00:20:39.33
"Kingdom Come"
00:20:39.37\00:20:40.24
on It Is Written
TV. ¤[music ends]¤¤
00:20:40.27\00:20:43.00
>>John Bradshaw: A man
celebrates his birthday
00:20:44.84\00:20:46.24
at a bar half an hour
northwest of Detroit, Michigan.
00:20:46.27\00:20:49.64
Forty-eight hours or so later,
his lifeless body is found
00:20:49.68\00:20:53.08
by people out jogging.
00:20:53.11\00:20:55.52
Two days after Christmas--
00:20:55.55\00:20:56.69
that's more than six
months after the tragic murder--
00:20:56.72\00:21:00.06
Gilbert Poole was arrested
00:21:00.09\00:21:01.36
after his
then-girlfriend went to police.
00:21:01.39\00:21:04.46
After being
extradited to Michigan, tried,
00:21:04.49\00:21:07.93
and convicted of murder, he
was sentenced to life in prison
00:21:07.96\00:21:12.30
without the
possibility of parole.
00:21:12.33\00:21:15.34
What sealed his fate was
expert testimony from a dentist,
00:21:15.37\00:21:18.84
who claimed it was a
virtual certainty that Mr. Poole
00:21:18.87\00:21:22.88
left a bite mark of some
kind on the victim's body.
00:21:22.91\00:21:27.48
The science the dentist
used is no longer admissible
00:21:27.52\00:21:30.82
in a court of law. It's
what you'd call "junk science."
00:21:30.85\00:21:36.16
But it was enough to
put Gilbert Poole away
00:21:36.19\00:21:38.29
for what turned out to
be more than half his life.
00:21:38.33\00:21:42.03
The Innocence Project at
the Western Michigan University
00:21:42.06\00:21:44.73
Cooley Law School
took up Mr. Poole's case,
00:21:44.77\00:21:47.84
and with DNA testing
having become available,
00:21:47.87\00:21:50.11
and with the state of Michigan
00:21:50.14\00:21:51.64
having recently established
a conviction integrity unit,
00:21:51.67\00:21:55.48
which investigates
claims of innocence,
00:21:55.51\00:21:58.18
it was discovered that what Mr.
Poole had maintained all along
00:21:58.21\00:22:02.38
was true.
00:22:02.42\00:22:04.52
Gilbert Poole had
nothing whatsoever to do
00:22:04.55\00:22:08.09
with that terrible
crime committed in 1988.
00:22:08.12\00:22:11.76
He spent 32 years
in prison for nothing,
00:22:11.79\00:22:15.80
while whoever
committed the crime
00:22:15.83\00:22:18.17
has never been
brought to justice.
00:22:18.20\00:22:21.07
So Gilbert Poole was exonerated.
00:22:21.10\00:22:23.87
The state of Michigan
admitted it had got it wrong.
00:22:23.91\00:22:27.54
The justice system
failed, spectacularly.
00:22:27.58\00:22:31.45
But then it worked.
00:22:31.48\00:22:33.18
And we can be glad that
an innocent man went free.
00:22:33.21\00:22:36.35
But what about
guilty people going free?
00:22:37.35\00:22:40.59
That's where you fit
right into this picture.
00:22:40.62\00:22:43.99
The Bible tells us that
00:22:44.03\00:22:45.16
"all have sinned, and come
short of the glory of God."
00:22:45.19\00:22:48.83
That's you, me, your
neighbors--all have sinned.
00:22:48.86\00:22:55.14
The consequence of that?
00:22:55.17\00:22:56.81
Well, the same book says that
"the wages of sin is death."
00:22:56.84\00:23:00.88
That's more
than a life sentence;
00:23:00.91\00:23:02.71
that's an eternal sentence.
00:23:02.74\00:23:05.38
After the fall of Adam
and Eve in the Garden of Eden,
00:23:05.41\00:23:07.85
death came to the world as
a consequence of their sin.
00:23:07.88\00:23:11.69
Sin separates from God, and
it brought death to the world.
00:23:11.72\00:23:17.49
And there's no
way back from that.
00:23:17.53\00:23:19.56
Science cannot help
you. Money cannot help you.
00:23:19.59\00:23:23.43
Ingenuity can't
come to your aid.
00:23:23.47\00:23:26.37
Sin leads to
spiritual death, eternal death,
00:23:26.40\00:23:30.41
and everyone has sinned.
00:23:30.44\00:23:32.37
We're all guilty.
00:23:32.41\00:23:35.14
But there's hope in one place.
00:23:35.18\00:23:38.98
"For God so loved the world,
00:23:39.01\00:23:40.32
"that He gave His
only begotten Son,
00:23:40.35\00:23:42.88
"that whosoever believeth
in Him should not perish,
00:23:42.92\00:23:46.62
but have everlasting life."
00:23:46.65\00:23:48.09
John 3:16.
00:23:48.12\00:23:49.66
The Bible says that Jesus "is
the propitiation for our sins:
00:23:49.69\00:23:54.10
"and not for ours only,
00:23:54.13\00:23:56.56
but also for the
sins of the whole world."
00:23:56.60\00:24:00.04
The propitiation,
the atoning sacrifice--
00:24:00.07\00:24:04.31
God pardons the
guilty. God forgives sin.
00:24:04.34\00:24:10.65
Sinners are nothing
like the Gilbert Poole
00:24:10.68\00:24:13.92
of this tragic tale.
00:24:13.95\00:24:15.42
He was an innocent man.
He did not commit the crime.
00:24:15.45\00:24:19.09
He was released from prison.
00:24:19.12\00:24:21.39
Sinners did commit the crime
00:24:21.42\00:24:24.39
and are released from
the prison house of sin.
00:24:24.43\00:24:28.13
The apostles were
released from prison in Acts 5.
00:24:28.16\00:24:30.90
Peter was escorted from
prison by an angel in Acts 12.
00:24:30.93\00:24:34.24
The prison cell that Paul
and Silas were detained in
00:24:34.27\00:24:36.84
miraculously opened
in Acts, chapter 16.
00:24:36.87\00:24:40.31
God's telling you something.
00:24:40.34\00:24:42.51
He's in the business
of setting people free,
00:24:42.54\00:24:45.01
liberating people
from the prison of sin.
00:24:45.05\00:24:48.22
Your guilt isn't the question.
That's beyond question.
00:24:48.25\00:24:52.85
But God forgives the
guilty, declares them innocent,
00:24:52.89\00:24:57.73
and frees everyone who
believes, frees them from sin.
00:24:57.76\00:25:04.13
That's God's will for you.
00:25:04.17\00:25:06.97
You'd rather be
free, wouldn't you?
00:25:07.00\00:25:09.50
In an earthly court we try the
accused, sentence the guilty,
00:25:09.54\00:25:13.91
and free the innocent.
00:25:13.94\00:25:15.81
Before God, we're all guilty.
00:25:15.84\00:25:19.48
And for those who place
their faith and trust in Jesus
00:25:19.51\00:25:22.02
and believe in His
death, Jesus is the way out.
00:25:22.05\00:25:25.35
He's the only way out of sin.
00:25:25.39\00:25:28.39
And He offers
you everlasting life.
00:25:28.42\00:25:31.46
"If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us
00:25:31.49\00:25:35.06
our sins and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness."
00:25:35.10\00:25:39.70
Gilbert Poole was released from
prison because he was innocent.
00:25:39.73\00:25:44.21
You are not.
00:25:44.24\00:25:45.71
You're guilty, guilty of sin.
00:25:45.74\00:25:49.54
But God says He
will forgive us freely.
00:25:49.58\00:25:52.51
No matter the life
you've lived or are living,
00:25:52.55\00:25:55.35
no matter the
mistakes you've made,
00:25:55.38\00:25:57.69
when Jesus comes into your life,
00:25:57.72\00:26:00.59
God looks at you
and says, "Not guilty."
00:26:00.62\00:26:05.76
>>John: Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written
00:26:06.76\00:26:08.66
exists because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:26:08.70\00:26:12.10
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:26:12.13\00:26:15.34
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:26:15.37\00:26:19.61
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:26:19.64\00:26:21.08
to the address on your screen,
00:26:21.11\00:26:22.54
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:26:22.58\00:26:26.38
Thank you for your prayers
and for your financial support.
00:26:26.41\00:26:29.22
Our number
again is 800-253-3000,
00:26:29.25\00:26:33.39
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:26:33.42\00:26:36.42
>>John: Let me
pray with you now.
00:26:37.36\00:26:39.16
Our Father in heaven, the
reality is we have sinned.
00:26:39.19\00:26:42.06
We have "come short
of the glory of God."
00:26:42.10\00:26:44.40
We chose to go astray.
00:26:44.43\00:26:45.97
We chose to sin.
00:26:46.00\00:26:48.47
You chose to allow Your
Son Jesus to come to this world
00:26:48.50\00:26:52.01
to bear our sin and
assure our pardon and salvation.
00:26:52.04\00:26:56.58
Friend, as we pray,
ask yourself this question:
00:26:56.61\00:27:00.08
Are you free?
00:27:00.12\00:27:01.18
If you're free, you
will say, "Thank You, Jesus."
00:27:01.22\00:27:03.39
If you're not, if
you're stuck in sin,
00:27:03.42\00:27:06.05
if you look at yourself
and say, "Yes, I'm guilty,"
00:27:06.09\00:27:08.49
would you look to heaven now?
00:27:08.52\00:27:09.99
Would you look beyond
your present circumstances
00:27:10.03\00:27:12.83
and this world into
the world to come and say,
00:27:12.86\00:27:16.33
"I want that, this everlasting
life offered to me in Jesus"?
00:27:16.36\00:27:20.07
Would you claim it
now? Would you claim it?
00:27:20.10\00:27:21.80
Let's pray that prayer.
00:27:21.84\00:27:23.37
Lord, we claim
salvation through Jesus.
00:27:23.41\00:27:25.77
We are not worthy.
00:27:25.81\00:27:27.21
We are not deserving.
00:27:27.24\00:27:28.78
But Jesus grants
us His righteousness,
00:27:28.81\00:27:32.25
and we accept it.
00:27:32.28\00:27:33.75
We thank You that we
may be free in Jesus.
00:27:33.78\00:27:37.45
We claim it now,
we believe it now,
00:27:37.49\00:27:39.82
and we thank You
for it right now.
00:27:39.85\00:27:42.59
In Jesus' name we pray,
00:27:42.62\00:27:45.16
amen.
00:27:45.19\00:27:47.00
Thank you so
much for joining me.
00:27:47.03\00:27:48.86
Looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:48.90\00:27:50.80
Until then, remember:
00:27:50.83\00:27:52.63
"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:27:52.67\00:27:56.81
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:27:56.84\00:28:00.98
¤[dramatic theme music]¤
00:28:01.01\00:28:06.01
¤[music ends]¤¤
00:28:25.83\00:28:27.84