On April 25, 1990, a 10 year old girl was allegedly abducted from her backyard in Columbus, OH. She said that a man grabbed her, pulled her over a fence, tied a sock around her eyes and put her in his car. He then drove to a nearby abandoned house, took her inside and sexually assaulted her on a couch. Afterward, the man took the girl in his car to a convenience store and went inside. While he was inside, the girl jumped from the car and ran home. She told her mother about the attack the next day when her mother noticed that she was acting strangely. According to the mother, the girl said at this time that her biological father, 34 year old Robert McClendon, had abducted and assaulted her the previous day. Based largely on the testimony of the 10 year old girl, McClendon was convicted of kidnapping and rape and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
If Robert 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.