BREAKING: #CarmenMejia just walked free after 22 years of wrongful incarceration in Texas. While she was exonerated on Monday, she was not immediately released due to an immigration hold stemming from her wrongful conviction.
ICE announced that in light of the exoneration they would lift the detainer so that she could be released from local custody.
“I never lost faith and hope — I never lost it in 22 years,” she said.
Today, Carmen Mejia was exonerated after Travis County District Court Judge P. David Wahlberg dismissed a 2003 murder charge against her, following a ruling from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (CCA) — the state's highest criminal court — overturning her convictions and finding that new evidence established that Ms. Mejia is "actually innocent."
The CCA's decision on Jan. 22, 2026 found Ms. Mejia actually innocent of the death of a 10-month-old infant in her care who was critically burned from scalding bathwater due to a water heater in her rental home that lacked safety technology. Ms. Mejia has spent the last 22 years in prison for what the State claimed to be murder but now agrees was, in fact, a tragic accident.
The state's own medical examiner reversed the manner of death from homicide to accident. The State's key experts who originally testified against Ms. Mejia recanted their testimony supporting the prosecution's theory that an adult had to have intentionally caused the burns. Judge P. David Wahlberg found that no crime ever took place and subsequently, the CCA ruled that Ms. Mejia had established her innocence and overturned her conviction.
Link in bio for the full story. #CarmenMejia
📸: @montiniquemonroe
I care deeply about the work the @innocenceproject does to free people who’ve been wrongfully convicted and to prevent future injustices, and I wanted to find a way to support it. To help raise funds for their work, I’m inviting one winner and a guest to join me for lunch in NYC (flights and hotel included.) Donations of $15 or more support their work and enter you for a chance to win.
Enter at prizeo.com/lunchwithtony (in my bio) and thank you, sincerely, for joining me to support their important work.
New Hampshire has a restrictive three-year deadline on requests for new trials with no room for exceptions. This means that if new evidence is discovered, science becomes outdated, or a confession proves someone’s innocence — they’re out of luck.
A new bill could change that.
In partnership with the New England Innocence Project, help us urge Gov. Kelly Ayotte to pass HB 1422.
Take action today. Link in bio.
After seeing The Fear of 13 for the first time, Termaine Hicks returns this Thursday night for a panel conversation after the show about wrongful incarceration and the words that helped him survive it.
For Christina Swarns, Nick Yarris’ story is lived history. On opening night, she spoke about the case, the work of the Innocence Project, and what it means to see it shared with a Broadway audience. Join us this Thursday for an evening benefitting the Innocence Project at The Fear of 13.
Music was a lifeline for Huwe Burton and rapper Brian “Saigon” Carenard who met in prison during the 19 years Mr. Burton spent wrongfully incarcerated for his mother’s murder. Music brought creativity, discipline, and purpose to both men during their incarceration and as their relationship deepened, Mr. Burton’s experience inspired Mr. Carenard to question his place in the system, too.
The Innocence Project and StoryCorps Studios present more than 30 intimate conversations with exonerees — now preserved in the Library of Congress and available for the first time.
Visit: innocenceproject.org/storycorps
Join us Thursday, May 14 for The Fear of 13’s Innocence Project Benefit Night. $10 from every ticket purchased will support the Innocence Project’s work to free the innocent and prevent wrongful convictions. A short discussion with the team will follow the performance.
Christopher Ochoa* met Mercedes Garcia at a party at his mother’s house, after serving 13 years in prison for sexual assault and murder he didn’t commit. They didn’t know then that they’d soon be husband and wife. In this poignant conversation, they remember those first moments together, and how their relationship grew despite the weight of the past.
The Innocence Project and @StoryCorps Studios present more than 30 intimate conversations with exonerees — now preserved in the Library of Congress and available for the first time.
Visit: innocenceproject.org/storycorps (link in bio).
*Represented by both the Innocence Project and the @wisconsininnocenceproject .
As Mother’s Day draws near, we’re reflecting on the strength and resilience of the moms who missed out on years — even decades — with their families because of wrongful conviction.
For many freed and exonerated mothers, hugging their children is their first act of freedom. This Mother’s Day, take a moment to send them a message of love and support. Link in bio!
(Image: Claire Bangser for the Innocence Project)
