On June 7, 1988, joggers discovered the body of 35 year old Robert Mejia on a running trail in the woods behind his apartment complex in Pontiac, MI. Mejia had been stabbed to death. Primarily due to the junk science of bite mark evidence, Gilbert Poole was convicted of first-degree murder, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. With 20 years of expertise in criminal justice, Chris Fabricant leads the Innocence Project’s Strategic Litigation Department as the Joseph Flom Special Counsel and Director of Strategic Litigation. His knowledge of forensic sciences drives his work’s focus on the intersection of science, law reform and social justice. Chris learned about Gilbert's case when he and Marla Mitchell-Cichon, Gilbert's attorney, discussed the bite mark junk science that sent him to prison. Then, at the 2022 Innocence Network Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, Chris listened to Gilbert speak about his case and experience. To learn more about the junk science of bite mark evidence: https://lavaforgood.com/podcast/145-wrongful-conviction-junk-science-bite-mark-evidence/ http://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/junk-science/ To get involved, visit: https://www.cooley.edu/alumni/help-our-students?hsCtaTracking=4ff403ba-26dd-4fdf-80fe-1990814d3858%7C959d4c89-aa90-400a-a2a7-6c2bc608119f This episode is part of a special series in our Wrongful Conviction podcast feed of 15 episodes focused on individual cases of wrongful incarceration, guest hosted by formerly incarcerated returning citizens and leading criminal justice advocates, award-winning journalists and progressive influencers.
If Gilbert is still fighting for justice, your voice matters. Consider sharing this case on social media, signing any active petitions, or contacting your representatives about wrongful conviction reform.
The Wrongful Conviction podcast, hosted by Jason Flom and Khaliah Ali (daughter of Muhammad Ali), has featured over 500 cases of men and women who spent years — sometimes decades — in prison for crimes they did not commit. The podcast has been downloaded over 70 million times and has directly influenced exonerations, clemencies, and criminal justice reform legislation across the country.