I knew they were innocent. And the question was do we have enough . Reporter youve got several witnesses saying their testimony was coerced. Can they all be lying . If i have to die in this situation, let it be said that i would die trying to prove it that i was an innocent man. Never that i gave up. Never. Heres craig melvin with the long road to Freedom Reporter tulsa oklahoma. Look at a list of top places to live and youll often find it. A city of promise, of a new kind of energy as its motto says. But look a bit closer. Just over the Railroad Tracks that separate the north from the south side and youll find a city divided. Segregated. And if you walk deeper into north tulsa, past the boarded up houses and the broken basketball hoops, youll hear a story thats all too familiar. The truth is, man, ive had to deal with the pain. Ive had to deal with the anger. The frustration. The sadness. The misery. You know . Reporter like the families of george floyd, ahmaud arbery, breonna taylor, Michael Brown and hundreds of other young africanamericans whose names are being chanted in protests nationwide, Malcolm Scott wants his story told. Because if we dont know it exists how can we do anything about it . Reporter his story starts like so many other black lives that have struggled to matter. Raised in poverty under the watchful, suspicious eye of the police and destined to a life of runins with the law. But at its heart its a story about two brothers malcolm and corey, and a bond that could not be broken, not even in the face of unimaginable odds. Reporter what was it like growing up in north tulsa . Oh, you felt like you were always home, you know, familiar faces always around you. Reporter large family, too, as i understand it. Yeah, 12 brothers and sisters. Reporter 12 . Yeah. So yeah, it was crowded. [ laughter ] i was really big into sports, like, i love, you know, me getting a hold of a football in my hand and running was, like, you know, life. Reporter malcolm caught the football bug from corey, who was his older halfbrother and best friend. We have a beautiful relationship. My mamall tell me, you know, hes crazy about you, you know . He do everything you do. Reporter as a young teenager malcolm dealt with a father who struggled with alcohol addiction and sometimes abused him. Corey was his safe haven. I had to protect him. Reporter did he kind of start to play the role of dad . I could better relate to him. I didnt fear him. And i felt kinda safe with him. Reporter feeling safe was rare in north tulsa. This was where the poorest of the poor lived. A place with very few social services but lots of crack cocaine and gang violence. The night of august 3rd, 1990 was typical. On the corner of atlanta and 4th, a gun was fired. Corey says he happened to be driving through. I looked to where the shot came from. And i seen the dude fall. And as we got right there, i looked and his chest was still movin. He was still breathin. And i was, like, man, somebody call an ambulance for him. Reporter when Police Arrived they found 29yearold james lane, a smalltime drug dealer, dead on the sidewalk. Hed been shot once in the chest and robbed. Police stopped corey at the scene. Some of his friends were known gang members, and police thought corey was too, but he had no criminal record. And they ordered us out the car and they searched my car down and they searched us down and let us go. Reporter investigators were not able to develop any leads and the case went cold. But six months after lanes death, a 16yearold named doane thomas told police he saw the shooter. It was corey. Police arrested corey and charged him with firstdegree murder. I was taken to the homicide division. And the detective was, like, you gonna tell us you did this. And im, like, man, i aint did nothin. Reporter at trial, doane thomas became the prosecutions star witness. And prosecutors had more evidence they played an interrogation video of coreys friend, ben king, who was with him that night, in which he, too, told detectives that corey was the killer. Corey took the stand in his own defense and testified he tried to help the victim, not kill him. I can remember the d. A. He said, you know if they dont believe you, youre goin to the penitentiary for the rest of your life. And i just and i said, yeah, but the truth gonna come out. Reporter the jury did not believe him and found corey guilty. On june 25tth, 1991, he was sentenced to life and shipped off to a maximum security prison. Just like that, he was out of malcolms life. Corey left when i was no more than 13, and that was hard. Reporter to fill the void, malcolm started to hang out more with demarchoe carpenter, a lanky basketball player and neighborhood jokester. I was gonna be a comedian. You know, i used to think i was so funny. You know . I always tell jokes, and get the girls, and make em laugh. Reporter but in north tulsa fun could easily turn tragic in a split second. Malcolm and demarchoe were at a party spot late one night in december 1993 when a driveby shooter hit the place. Malcolm was grazed, but demarchoe was badly injured. He was rushed to the hospital, malcolm by his side. He was sayin, just hang in there, keep your eyes open. You know, and he was holdin my hand. And i remember him squeezin, hold on, hold on, hang in there. Reporter losing his brother to prison, then seeing his friend almost die, hardened malcolm. He inched a bit closer to the streets. In fact, Police Caught him with a handgun. Something he says probably would not have happened if corey had been around. Hes always been the one that said, man, nah. You dont you dont need to be involved with none of that, man. Get go on get. You need to be in school. Go you gonna get that football. Reporter malcolm had always wanted to follow in his brothers footsteps. And he was about to. When we come back, another tulsa murder. And another shock for young malcolm. Fingers are pointed at him, and his friend. These witnesses said that they saw malcolm and demarchoe there. They saw the shooting. They identified them. Everything just froze. Its like time just suspended for a second. Where will you go first . Wherever you may go, lexus will welcome you back with exceptional offers on exceptional vehicles. Get zero percent financing and make no payments for up to 90 days on all 2020 lexus models. Experience amazing at your lexus dealer. No uh uh, no way come on, no no nnnnono only discover has no annual fee on any card. Thats why ive got the power of 1,2,3 medicines with trelegy. The only fdaapproved, oncedaily 3 in 1 copd treatment. With trelegy and the power of 1, 2, 3, im breathing better. 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Reporter heres an inescapable fact of growing up in a violenceridden, lowincome Community Like north tulsa. Then and now, if youre a 17yearold black teenager like malcolm was in 1994, youre on the polices radar. Whether youre in a gang or not. I frequently heard complaints from kids about being arrested for no reason, being hassled, being stopped, being labeled gang members when they may have worn a certain color. Reporter Ziva Branstetter was an investigative Crime Reporter for the tulsa world newspaper for 22 years. I think the vast majority were good cops doin their job, trying to keep up, going from call to call. But there are other reports, you know, of indiscriminate arrests. Reporter branstetter says that what she saw in tulsa reflected the stark reality all across the country. Tulsa was roughly 10 african american, but the arrest rate among African Americans was about 43 . Reporter you were a kid back then, it was easier to grow up in south tulsa than north tulsa. Absolutely. I raised two kids in south tulsa. And i didnt have to worry about my boys being pulled over for no reason. I didnt worry about, you know, the safety of my sons. Reporter how bad was the gang problem in tulsa then . The gang problem was bad. People were afraid. There were reports regularly about crips and bloods warring. You know . The Tulsa Police Department was trying to deal with a very high Violent Crime rate, a lotta guns on the street. Reporter september 10th, 1994 was just that kind of day in north tulsa. Another driveby shooting. Another senseless death. This time, it was 19yearold karen summers, the mother of a baby boy, who was gunned down at 2 30 in the morning as she was hanging with friends at a party. Frankly, this kind of case while it did involve a tragic loss of life of a young mother who was an innocent victim, it was not highly unusual in tulsa. Reporter the murder had all the signs of a gang crime. And lots of crips were at the party. So a day later, tulsa homicide investigator mike huff paid a visit to Michael Wilson, a wellknown member of the bloods. Huff noticed a maroon sedan parked in wilsons driveway. It matched the description of the driveby car. Mike huff says, hey, i want to talk to you about this shooting. What do you know . And michael is trying to hide a gun. Huff sees the gun and takes the gun. Ballistic tests showed that that was the gun that, you know, was used to kill karen summers. Reporter it seemed damning, but wilson told detectives he was hiding the gun for malcolms friend, demarchoe, and had given demarchoe the bullets. Wilson was arrested for holding the gun, but his story lined up with what police were hearing from two eyewitnesses malcolm and demarchoe killed karen summers. These witnesses said that they saw malcolm and demarchoe there. They saw the shooting. They identified them. Suddenly malcolm was in almost the same situation his brother had been in three years before and telling a tulsa homicide detective exactly the same thing im innocent. Im like, whoever is telling you this, theyre obviously mistaken. I didnt have nothing to do with it. Reporter but despite the fact that no physical evidence pointed to malcolm and demarchoe, prosecutors believed they were the shooters, so they cut a deal with Michael Wilson. They allowed him to plead guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for testifying against malcolm and demarchoe. At trial, the prosecution presented the two eyewitnesses and what wilson told them. Then demarchoe said the prosecutor approached him about a deal say that malcolm did it, and well cut you a break. I thought that he was insane for even askin me that. Reporter you didnt even consider it . No. Definitely not. Why would i do that . Why would i throw him under the bus . Reporter demarchoe turned down the deal. But just nine hours later, he stood horrified as the jury delivered its verdict the two friends were both found guilty of first degree murder. I couldnt hear nothin. I seen faces, and people was cryin. But i didnt hear nothin. Reporter a judge sentenced malcolm and demarchoe to life in prison plus 170 years. Everything just froze. Its like time just suspended for a second. Reporter malcolm thought of his older brother corey. Now they were both serving life for murders they said they did not commit. But they were determined to stay strong and to help each other. We basically had made a pact with each other. We said, man, whoever get outta here first better come get the other one. Reporter the odds malcolm and corey could keep that promise were next to impossible. The road to freedom, if it ever came, would be long, filled with unexpected twists and revelations. Coming up a private investigator tracks down one of the eyewitnesses who i. D. d malcolm and demarchoe as the killers he said, man, ive been carrying around a burden. Those boys didnt do that. When dateline continues. D. Its not a cure, but with one small pill, biktarvy fights hiv to help you get to and stay undetectable. Thats when the amount of virus is so low it cannot be measured by a lab test. Research shows people who take hiv treatment every day and get to and stay undetectable can no longer transmit hiv through sex. Serious side effects can occur, including kidney problems and kidney failure. Rare, lifethreatening side effects include a buildup of lactic acid and liver problems. Do not take biktarvy if you take dofetilide or rifampin. Tell your doctor about all the medicines and supplements you take, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis. If you have hepatitis b, do not stop taking biktarvy without talking to your doctor. Common side effects were diarrhea, nausea, and headache. 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Plus, it freshens breath. Biotene. Immediate and long lasting dry mouth symptom relief. We know youre always at univethere for them. X, thats why our advisors are always here for you. Learn more at phoenix. Edu. Reporter Corey Atchison has been in prison for 28 years. He says he has spent almost every day of it trying to prove his innocence. But hes exhausted his appeals and been denied parole five times. There a point over the last 20 plus years where you thought im gonna die here. Times when you get denied in court you feel low. You just wanna say give sometimes. Reporter what was your lowest point . It would have probably been in situations when i wanted to be out there with my daughter to help her and i couldnt. Reporter coreys daughter courtney was born a couple of months after her father started his life sentence. Sent me paperwork tryin to forfeit my custody, sayin i was unfit because i was in prison. It felt like i was failin her. And it felt like it wasnt even my fault. Reporter corey felt that sense of failure and helplessness again when he heard about malcolm. What did you think when you heard that your younger brother was convicted . At first, i was like, this is my fault because he followed in my footsteps. It felt like this was my child being taken away. Reporter did you know that your brother told us that he feels partly responsible for you going to prison . I mean, theres no blame on my brother at all. And i definitely cant hold him responsible for something that i didnt even do myself. Reporter when malcolm entered prison he thought hed get out as soon as he filed his first appeal. Then his second. And third. Denied. Denied. Denied. Reporter so malcolm and his friend demarchoe started writing letters. Whod you write to . Anybody in the legal field that you could think of reporter and what would you say in these letters . Im an innocent man. You know, i just need somebody to look at this case and they will see. Reporter they wrote thousands of letters, day after day for 11 years. Finally, in 2006 private investigator eric cullen, the son of a tulsa homicide detective, took on the case. I kind of describe malcolm and demarchoes letters as kinda scratches on a wall. I just kind of imagined what it must be you know, to be dropped in a hole 30 feet deep and good luck getting out. Theres no such thing as a criminal justice system. Its just a system. Its not always fair. And its not always right. Reporter cullen tracked down the first eyewitness who had identified malcolm and demarchoe as the killers. And he couldnt even look me in the eye. He said, man, ive been carrying around a burden. Man, those those boys didnt do that. Reporter the man told cullen he shot at the driveby car as it sped away and claimed that detectives threatened to put him behind bars for firing his weapon if he didnt testify against malcolm and demarchoe. He says that they told him he could be charged with felony murder for firing that gun and that it might have been him that killed karen summers, who knows . Reporter now that he was making progress cullen needed help. So he turned to someone whos been a champion against Wrongful Convictions for years. Tiffany murphy, then the director of the oklahoma Innocence Project. It wasnt the first time a tulsa case had landed on murphys desk. I was seeing a lot of cases where were no facts that supported what i was seeing on these convictions. When youre seeing that lack over time involving the same departments, sheriffs office, police department, prosecutors office, thats what really bothered me. Reporter cullen and the innocence team tracked down the second eyewitness who testified he had seen malcolm and demarchoe. But Police Records showed he had been shot in the buttocks and his back was turned. Common sense tells you if you got shot in the butt and youre running away, youre not able to see anything. Reporter the eyewitness recanted and he claimed detectives had coerced his testimony too. This is a kid who got pressured into saying something he did not see. I was just watching him. And i could tell. This was a man who was remembering something that was extremely traumatic. And as a black woman, i get that. I understand that. You know, the fear of the police is is a real thing. Reporter now, only one of the prosecutions key witnesses remained Michael Wilson. Michael is it. Whatever he had to say had to kind of tie everything together. Reporter and the team knew exactly where to find Michael Wilson. On death row. Coming up Michael Wilsons jawdropping admission. I wasnt trying to shoot karen summers, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. And what he has to say about the police. All i know is i had a murder weapon on me and they let me go. Hey, can i. Hold on one second. 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Wilson seen here in this Surveillance Video while he committed the crime was appealing, hoping hed get a lesser sentence of life without parole. If michael had been executed without talking to us, we dont have a case. We dont have enough with what weve got so far to win. Im hoping someone can help me. Reporter but demarchoe wasnt ready to give up. Shout out to president obama, russell simmons, kevin durant. Shaquille oneal. So you started making videos from in prison . Yes. Last i checked, you you werent supposed to have cellphones in prison. No. But, you know, i had to do what i had to do to try to regain my freedom. I felt like i had to take this risk. Reporter while malcolm and demarchoe waited, wilson lost his final appeal on january 2nd, 2014. He was set to die by lethal injection a week later. And then the phone rang. It was wilsons lawyer. And she said to us, if you wanna talk to him, this is the window you got. And it was, literally, i think 48 hours before his execution. My name is Michael Wilson. Reporter when murphy met with wilson in a death row visiting room, a video camera was rolling. I was incredibly nervous, because i knew what was on the line for malcolm and demarchoe. Reporter now, what might be their last chance at freedom came down to whether a condemned man would decide to come clean. Within minutes he did. I wasnt trying to shoot karen summers, i was just she was one of those type of things you know, and she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Reporter wilson confessed to killing karen summers and even said he thought it was all over when Police Actually caught him with the gun he used. So it kind of blew me away that i got caught with a gun and they just let me go. All i know is i had a murder weapon on me and they let me go. Reporter wilson said it seemed the detective had already made up his mind that malcolm and demarchoe were the killers, and he just played along. All i had to do was answer questions, yes or no. Did i give some bullets to demarchoe carpenter . I said yes. Did demarchoe give you a gun . No, he didnt give me a gun. He asked me, did demarchoe carpenter give me a gun . I said yes. Thats what i had to say and thats they let me out. Reporter and thats why he was free to kill that Convenience Store manager. A murder that would have never happened had wilson been in jail and charged with karen summerss death. You have people who would be alive, families not affected, not destroyed by this horrible crime. That doesnt happen if hes arrested for this. Reporter malcolm got the call soon after wilsons confession. It was all there, captured on video. Demarchoe carpenter and Malcolm Scott is innocent. They didnt do this crime. Reporter the words he had ached to hear for 20 long years. I stood on my faith. I stood on my faith. You never lost that faith. I refused to let it go. Reporter the Team Presented its evidence to a judge. But police and prosecutors denied they coerced any witnesses, and insisted that what wilson had said on that video was a lie. The police, from their standpoint, and the prosecutors say, this guy is gonna die. So if he goes out and helps two of his, you know, neighborhood friends, what does he got to lose . Reporter would malcolm and demarchoe have a shot at freedom . It was all up to the judge now. Coming up a fresh look at coreys case, including new evidence from three eyewitnesses. They all described someone, 57ish. That was an aha moment, cause Corey Atchisons 62. No one is going to misinterpret Corey Atchison for being 57, okay . When dateline continues. No uh uh, no way come on, no no nnnnono only discover has no annual fee on any card. Essential for sewing, but maybe not nneedles. O for people with certain inflammatory conditions. Because there are options. Like an unjection™. Xeljanz. 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The bounce wrinkle guard shorts have fewer wrinkles and static, and more softness. Its the worlds first mega sheet that does the job of three dryer sheets. It also comes in unscented. If you dont love bounce wrinkle guard, well give you your money back. Reporter Tulsa County Courthouse, may 9th, 2016. A day almost 22 years in the making. The last time malcolm and demarchoe faced a judge here, they were sentenced to life in prison. Now they hoped another judge would set them free. I have to die in this situation. Let it be said that i would die trying to prove it, that i was an innocent man, never that i gave up. Never. Reporter the judge agreed with malcolm and demarchoe that police pressured witnesses and that wilsons video confession was credible. They didnt do this crime. Malcolm and demarchoe, she declared, were, actually innocent of the murder of karen summers. You remember that morning you got out . I remember the skies was beautiful. I looked up and it it was right there, the sun. It was finally beamin on me. Reporter the first thing malcolm did as a free man, he says, was to let go of his anger. I had to free my mind. I had to free my heart. That felt good. 20 years later, what do you do now . Oh, man, im not sure yet. But i know im gonna get into a jacuzzi. Reporter actually before he did anything he called his brother corey. He say, bro, its over with. I cried, like, tears of joy. I felt like i was getting released. Its like a burden being off my shoulders, even if it dont never happen for me, you know, im happy that it happened for him. Reporter remember, they had a pact. First one out gets the other one out. When i talked to my attorneys off the top, now what can we do about getting my brother out . Theyre like, man you havent even enjoyed being home yourself. I wont be completely able to. I need him home. Reporter private investigator eric cullen was now working on coreys case. And as he pored over police and Court Records he noticed that just like with malcolm, there were several allegations of coercing witnesses. Most investigators dont believe in coincidence. And i did not believe that was a coincidence. Reporter cullen teamed up with defense lawyer joe norwood and he discovered a 15yearold testifying at a preliminary hearing claimed police had threatened him with jail time if he did not say corey was the shooter. Part way through his testimony he goes, you know what . I cant do this. What i just testified to isnt the truth. I was told to say it by these detectives. I didnt see corey do anything. Reporter next norwood tracked down the prosecutions star witness, doane thomas. And he told him he had lied, too, when he identified corey as the killer. Doane thomass claim is that the police pressured him to say it, and then the prosecutor tim harris got him through the trial gettin him to say it. Reporter then there was coreys friend whod been with him the night of the shooting, ben king, the one who said on that interrogation video that corey did it. But king said he had told police twice before that corey did not do it. I kept telling em we didnt do it, we didnt do it, corey didnt do it. They didnt wanna hear that. They didnt wanna hear the truth. Reporter and when Police Brought him in a third time and pressured him again, king said hed had enough, and just wanted to leave. They wouldnt let me go. I didnt have an attorney or nothin. After being down there nine or ten hours all day, i thought well, ive been tellin the truth. He didnt do it. So, i thought well, ill tellem a lie and go home. Reporter king said that when prosecutor tim harris asked him to testify against corey at trial he refused. Tim harris kept trying to get me to say he did it and i wouldnt do it. Thats when they went in there and brought that tape in there and played it. And i told them that was a lie, it was lie. It was the polices words, not mine. It was coerced. Reporter to norwood, the parallels between malcolms and coreys cases were unmistakable. These teenagers were threatened with being charged themselves if they didnt say what the detectives wanted them to say. You know, once twice is a pattern. A pattern of conduct, a pattern of how to gain a conviction. Reporter but in coreys case it wasnt just allegations of coercion. Norwood found three different eyewitnesses who told Police Someone else was the shooter. None of them testified at coreys trial. They all described the exact same physical appearance of someone, 57ish, 150ish, that was an aha moment. cause Corey Atchisons 62, hes a big dude. No one is going to misinterpret Corey Atchison for being 57, 150, okay reporter given all this new evidence, malcolm thought his brother finally had a chance to get out of prison. Hey, bro. Whats up, bro . Whats up with you . Every time i talk to you like when we when we was talking about you coming home, im like, i was just on the other side, you know what im sayin . When youre locked up its like you buried in a casket under the ground. This call will be terminated in under two minutes. You gotta climb up out of there and dont give up. Thats what it is. One little piece at a time man. Every little step we taking is gone get us to that final, to that big goal you know what i mean . To that big one were reaching for. Yeah. Reporter will corey and malcolm finally reunite . Coming up the d. A. In coreys case faces some tough questions. You could see how someone would say, youve got several witnesses all saying their testimony was coerced. Can they all be lying . Clooerps clooerps get zero percent financing and make no payments for up to 90 days on all 2020 lexus models. Experience amazing at your lexus dealer. bbut its even nicer knowing atthat if this happens. Ice it is to save on your auto policy. 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Get zero percent financing and make no payments for up to 90 days on all 2020 lexus models. Experience amazing at your lexus dealer. Is this is it gonna happen this time . Just thinking about everything. Reporter its one day before a judge will decide whether 47yearold Corey Atchison becomes a free man or spends the rest of his life in prison. But even if corey gets out life will not be easy. Take demarchoe. Whats it been like being on the outside . Its been a struggle. You know, im still trying to figure out who i am and what i wanna do. You know, i missed out on so much. Reporter demarchoe has had trouble keeping a job, trouble leaving the old north tulsa neighborhood behind. And in august, 2019, he got in trouble. Police allege he shot and badly injured another man. He insists he can prove he was miles away when the crime happened and denies the charges. His trial is scheduled for spring, 2021. Malcolm, on the other hand, has adjusted well. He lives in houston, texas, where he works as a personal trainer. And hes in love. But malcolm said his life would not be complete until the judge says those same words to corey that she said to him. When she finally makes that final decision, youre a free man. I feel like thats when its there, man. Hey mama ruth. Hi, how you doing . Ive been waiting for this day to come. Ive been waiting for a long time. Ive been praying for this day. Reporter family and friends assembled at the Tulsa County Court house. No cameras were allowed inside the courtroom, but i was there to hear the judges words. She declared there had been a fundamental miscarriage of justice, and found there was clear and convincing evidence that Corey Atchison did not commit this crime. His daughter courtney, 28 years old now, and a parent herself, was overjoyed. When you heard the judge say, Corey Atchison, youre a free man. Whatd you think . Its no words to explain, like, im just so happy. Im just ready for him to come home and be there for me and my baby. Reporter dateline repeatedly asked the Tulsa Police Department to respond to the allegations it threatened teenage witnesses in both malcolms and coreys cases. We also asked the d. A. s and the Mayors Office for interviews. They all declined. But we did speak to tim harris, tulsas former District Attorney, who prosecuted corey and who doane thomas said coerced him into lying that corey was the shooter. The allegations are patently false, untrue, theyre lies. I says as the elected District Attorney in this community for 16 years ive never coerced. Ive never forced and ive certainly never presented false testimony, not only of mr. Thomas, but in any case in my career. Reporter what about ben king . I cant remember what mr. King said, that was 28 years ago. Reporter but you know there are also other witnesses who who recanted. I dont know that, okay . I dont know who said what. Reporter but you could see how someone whos looking at this case from the outside who would say, youve got several witnesses all saying their testimony was coerced. Can they all be lying . I i dont know what they said, okay, but if theyre present at the scene and theyre saying mr. Atchison was not the shooter, then tell me who is. All i know is that i presented the evidence that was presented to me at a jury trial and 12 citizens listened to all of the evidence and decided that mr. Atchison was guilty of first degree murder. Reporter although the judge today said that had those same 12 jurors listened to all of the evidence, they would have likely reached a different conclusion. You know, thats her opinion, i respect it. I certainly disagree with it. The system doesnt want to acknowledge that they made a mistake, but you made a mistake. You made a horrible mistake. And the fact that it happened twice in the same family is there there are no words. Reporter the oklahoma Innocence Project is currently working on a staggering 145 potential Wrongful Conviction cases in tulsa. There is a problem here and it continues to be a problem. Reporter and of course its a national problem, especially for africanamericans. A 2017 study of the National Exoneration Registry showed that innocent black people are about seven times more likely to be convicted of murder than innocent white people. And that Police Misconduct is 22 more likely to play a role in their exoneration than with white defendants. Now people are saying, how can we fix it, but very few people on the state side want to sit down and have an honest conversation of, how did we get here . Reporter last week, in the wake of George Floyds death, a Tulsa Police Major said that the police are not systematically racist, citing Crime Statistics he said showed police are shooting africanamericans, quote, 24 less than we probably ought to be based on the crimes being committed. Tulsas first africanamerican police chief and its mayor criticized those remarks. What came out of his mouth is in no way reflective of what were trying to accomplish in the city of tulsa or the Tulsa Police Department. Reporter then this body cam video of tulsa police forcefully arresting a black teenager in north tulsa for jaywalking went viral. Hey, whyre you putting your hands on him . Reporter meanwhile, malcolm is suing the city of tulsa and the individual Police Officers who he claims coerced testimonies used to convict him and demarchoe. The city and the officers have denied the claims and are fighting to dismiss the lawsuit. Malcolm says hes not looking for blame. He wants to provoke change. Because my heart is strong about every single one of those people thats going through that fight and that struggle to prove their innocence. I know the pain. I know the hurt. Thats what this is about for me, giving that next man a chance. Hey. Welcome to freedom. Yeah. Reporter coreys struggle to prove his innocence is done. My other guy right here. Reporter malcolm, their mom, family, and friends get ready to welcome corey as he takes his first steps as a free man in 28 years. I would imagine that you spent many nights thinking about how this was going to go. Yeah, yeah, yeah, i had this dream. And i remember i woke up with tears in my eyes. And one of my partners came in my cell and he said, whats up . I said, man, im going home. Here he comes. Here he comes. [ cheers and applause ] yeah yeah yeah. In the last five years, 328 people wrongfully convicted of murder. 61 africanamericans, have reunited with their families. Together, they spent over 6,000 years in prison, years they will never get back. Thats all for this edition of dateline. Well see you again monday at 10 00 p. M. , 9 00 p. M. Central. And of course, ill see you each weeknight for nbc nightly news. Im lester holt. For all of us at nbc news, good night. I need you to for and about my life, before i get murdered by the police. Theres a large conversation to be had about queer and gay people of color. We experience a different set of circumstances whether to live your life openly or having different challenges. We have the straight, the gay, the trans community. If you dont respect us, who will respect us first . When you say