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Dateline: Secrets Uncovered season 11, episode 10 covered the wrongful convictions of Malcolm Scott and his brother Corey Atchison in two separate cases, leading to a long battle for freedom that ultimately bore fruit nearly three decades later. The episode covering the case, titled The Long Road to Freedom, will premiere on December 7, 2022, on NBC.
This shocking case is a shining example of wrongful conviction, which was widely covered and debated, especially by the African American community.
A North Tusla native, Malcolm Scott served 21 years in prison based on only witness testimonies from coerced individuals and testimony from a rival gang member, whose change of heart eventually led to Malcolm's freedom.
Scott's sentence was overturned in 2016 after he had spent more time of his life inside the prison than outside. He now resides in Houston, Texas, and works as a fitness trainer.
Who was Malcolm Scott, and what did he do?
Malcolm Scott was a North Tulsa, Oklahoma, native who grew up in a poverty-stricken black neighborhood in the state.
He was surrounded by small-time criminals and gang members from a very young age. With barely any other way out of the streets, his brother, Corey Atchison, soon turned to a life of crime.
Corey was arrested and charged with a murder he did not commit when Malcolm was very young. Trying to navigate the world on his own after his elder brother's arrest, Malcolm soon joined a gang and walked the same path as his older brother.
Unfortunately, he, too, was convicted of a crime he did not commit, bringing to light the shocking face of the American justice system and the racism still prevalent in it.
In a nutshell, the only wrong thing that Malcolm Scott allegedly did was join a gang. In 1994, a drive-by shooting killed 19-year-old Karen Summers and injured two minors at a gang party. The police initially reached Michael Lee Williams, who had the car and the murder weapon in his possession. Despite this, the police came for Malcolm Scott.
Williams testified that Malcolm Scott and De’Marchoe Carpenter were in the car and had killed the 19-year-old. In exchange for his testimony, he was awarded only five years in prison as an accessory after the fact.
Other witnesses also testified against Malcolm, which later turned out was orchestrated by the police. Both Malcolm and Carpenter were sentenced to prison for life plus 170 years. Both men continued to claim their innocence till their release.
Michael Lee Williams was later arrested and charged with a separate murder. While awaiting his death penalty, he finally revealed that both Scott and Carpenter were innocent in an interview with Oklahoma Innocence Project. He also revealed the names of his real accomplices that night. After the lethal injection, Michael once again clarified that Scott was innocent.
Malcolm Scott was released in 2016. Since getting out, he has been trying to adjust to a life he never knew. He briefly went to college but now works as a fitness trainer. He currently resides in Houston, Texas.
Dateline: Secrets Uncovered season 11, episode 10, will cover this case in detail when it airs on December 7, 2022, at 8 pm EST.
