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James Waller, Eugene Henton, & James Giles at Henton’s release
Eugene Henton was wrongfully convicted of sexual assault in Dallas County in 1984. Only seventeen years old at the time, Henton reluctantly accepted a plea agreement and served 18 months. Upon his release, he struggled to overcome the trauma of being wrongfully incarcerated, the difficulty with finding employment, and the burden of living with the community’s stigma of him as a sexual predator. With few options, Henton attempted to turn a quick dollar selling drugs. That life eventually caught up with him and resulted in subsequent drug and assault convictions.
In 2006, IPOT President Michelle Moore secured DNA testing for Henton’s sexual assault conviction, and the results proved that Henton was not the victim’s assailant. Prior to his exoneration, however, this past wrongful conviction had led to the enhancement of the sentences imposed for two convictions Henton obtained in Dallas and Tarrant counties. In early 2007, a Tarrant County court reduced Henton’s sentence to time-served as a result of the wrongful sexual assault conviction being used against him during the punishment phase of his Tarrant County trial. Later that same year, the court in Dallas County followed suit and released Henton from confinement.
Henton openly admits that being sent to prison for the second time probably saved him from a life of crime and death on the streets. However, his situation demonstrates the reverberating effects that a wrongful conviction can have on an individual. But for the initial wrongful conviction in 1984, Henton would not have been labeled as a sex offender and forced to make due on the streets without the support of his community and a without the opportunity to obtain gainful employment.
Henton’s story highlights several of the issues that the wrongfully convicted face upon their release from incarceration. Among the most difficult tasks for these men is locating housing and employment. Even those who have been proven innocent in a court of law struggle to convince potential employers, landlords, and members of the community of their innocence. They engage in a constant battle to reclaim their names and their place in the community.
Since his release, Henton has begun speaking to students and the community about his wrongful conviction and the effects it had on his life as an adult. He currently resides in the DFW area.