Charlotte Observer - In prison for a crime he adamantly denied committing, Richard Anthony Jones repeatedly heard from others that there was another prisoner who looked just like him.
Not only were they doppelgangers, but Jones was told that he and the other man shared the same first name.
Jones never ran across the man, but the lawyers he passed the information on to began digging into his case and came to the conclusion that Jones was indeed an innocent man.
On Wednesday, they made their case to a Johnson County judge, and on Thursday Jones walked free after serving nearly 17 years in prison for a 1999 robbery in Roeland Park.
Not only did he bear an uncanny resemblance to the other man with the same first name, but his lawyers uncovered the fact that the other man lived near the area of where the crime occurred, while Jones lived across the state line in Kansas City.
At Wednesday’s hearing in Johnson County District Court, witnesses, including the robbery victim, testified that looking at pictures of the two men together, they could no longer say if Jones was the perpetrator.
Based on their testimony and the new evidence, Johnson County District Judge Kevin Moriarty ordered Jones’ release.
Can you believe that?! 17 years in jail for a crime you didn't commit just because you look like the guy who did it! Waiting for the Netflix series...