When I first used digital evidence to help a public defender, it was just one case.
One person. One situation where something felt off—and where digital records told a very different story.

I didn’t expect it to lead anywhere. But then it happened again.
Another case. Another person.
And again, digital evidence made the difference.

That’s when I realized this wasn’t about one person anymore.
It was about a system failing many. This was a chance to help a lot of people.

Because in case after case, I saw the same pattern:
Digital evidence was available—but it wasn’t being used.

Not because defenders didn’t care.
Because they didn’t have access.
No tools, no training, no guidance on how to collect, interpret, or present it in court.

It wasn’t a malicious oversight—it was a technical knowledge gap. A quiet, widespread problem that was contributing to wrongful convictions.

That reality hit hard in 2018, when I worked on Vernon Horn’s case. He had spent years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
The records that proved his innocence?
They were in the case file the whole time.

That wasn’t just a tragic miss. It was a signal.

Public defenders across the country were saying the same thing:
• “We don’t have the tools.”
• “We’ve never been trained on this.”
• “We don’t have a process to revisit old cases—even when we know something might’ve been missed.”

So, in 2019, with no funding, no staff, and no roadmap, I started filling the gap and built what didn’t exist. Not a business.
An initiative.

A mission to help defenders use digital evidence to prevent wrongful convictions—
and to go back and look again when something was overlooked or can now be uncovered with new technology.

That effort became the Digital Innocence Initiative.

Since then, we’ve built practical, no-cost, defender-first tools:
• A Digital Evidence Toolbox with checklists, sample motions, and step-by-step guides
• The first-ever post-conviction digital evidence review framework
• Partnerships with public defenders nationwide
• System-level reforms, starting in Connecticut and expanding across the country

This work didn’t begin with a business plan.
It began with a blind spot—and a decision not to look away.

The tools defenders needed didn’t exist—so we built them.

Because when someone’s freedom is on the line, digital evidence can’t be optional.
When defenders are equipped to understand it, lives change.

That’s not theory. That’s real. It’s already happened—again and again.

Even one trained defender can change the outcome of a case—and a person’s life.

I never set out to launch anything.

I didn’t wait for the right moment or perfect conditions. I just saw a way to help more than one person—and I kept going.

And I’m still going.
Because the need is still here.
And now, so is the opportunity to fix it.

This isn’t about one case anymore.
It’s about systemic change—ensuring defenders have the tools to provide effective representation in the digital age.
Because every missed digital clue is a life that could have been saved.

If you believe in justice that reflects today’s reality—join us.
Support defenders.
Share this mission.
Get involved with the Digital Innocence Initiative.

Together, we can make sure digital evidence is never overlooked—and freedom is never out of reach.