Dateline: Secrets Uncovered: How did Malcolm Scott and Corey Atchison prove their innocence after nearly 3 decades?

Dateline: Secrets Uncovered is all set to delve into the shocking case of Malcolm Scott and Corey Atchison's convictions, which largely pinpoint the flaws in the legal system and the underlying racism in modern-day America. The upcoming episode of the show will air on December 7, 2022. Titled The Long Road to Freedom, it will chronicle the journey of two brothers who were wrongfully convicted on separate charges and sent to prison for life.

This comes as part of NBC News’ Inequality in America series and is aimed at underlining these issues of African American treatment. Malcolm Scott and Corey Atchison were two Tulsa natives who were sent to prison through false testimonies and coercion from the police. In 2017, Malcolm received his freedom after a key witness revealed that he had lied in his testimony shortly before his execution. Two years later, Corey Atchison was also released after major witnesses recanted their statements and an evidentiary hearing exposed the flaws in the state’s case against him.

The story of the two brothers shines as an example of injustice and flaws in the American legal system.

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Who are Malcolm Scott and Corey Atchison and how were they falsely implicated?

Malcolm Scott and Corey Atchison were brothers from North Tulsa, Oklahoma. Growing up in a poverty-stricken environment dominated by crime and criminals, the youngsters did not learn any better from a young age. Seeing it as his only way to survive, Corey aspired to become a gang member and did so after he became of legal age.

In 1991, Corey was arrested for the murder of a drug dealer named James Warren Lane. An opposing gang member allegedly testified against him, leading to his arrest. Corey was there on the night of the murder and had come to the man's rescue. He was initially let go but was arrested months later. As it turns out, there was some alleged coercion from the police, leading to more witness statements. The real witness, however, was never called to the stand. He was sentenced to life in prison.

Following in the footsteps of his brother, the young Malcolm Scott also joined a gang and was arrested for a crime he did not commit. He was arrested after a 19-year-old girl was shot and killed at a gang party. Michael Lee Williams, the real perpetrator in this case, pinned this on Malcolm Scott and De’Marchoe Carpenter. Both were sent to prison for life.

Williams was charged with a separate murder and sentenced to death. Shortly before his death by lethal injection, Williams did a video interview with the Oklahoma Innocence Project in which he admitted that he had killed the girl and that both Malcolm Scott and De’Marchoe Carpenter were innocent. With this testimony and the help of the Oklahoma Innocence Project, Malcolm finally got his well-deserved freedom.

Two years later, an evidentiary hearing exposed the flaws in the state’s case against him. This came shortly after the two key witnesses recanted their statements, leading to no further cause to keep Corey imprisoned. He was released in 2019. The witnesses in Corey's case also revealed that they had been pressurized by the police into giving false statements.

Both Malcolm Scott and Corey Atchison suffered the same fate but were finally united outside of prison in 2019. Malcolm Scott and Corey Atchison serve as prime examples of how a flawed legal system can ruin an individual's life.

The upcoming episode of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered on December 7, 2022, at 8 pm EST will cover this case in detail.