Why did Willie T. Donald spend 20 years in prison? 'People Magazine Investigates' to revisit wrongful conviction

In 1992, then-23-year-old Willie T. Donald was wrongfully charged and convicted of murder and robbery. It was as much of a shock to Donald as the story is to people now, when the police showed up at his doorstep out of the blue.

He was sentenced to 60 long years in prison. However, in 2016, the charges against him were dropped and he was released after serving nearly 24 years of jailtime as a result of the mishap.

Willie reportedly missed a few significant years and occasions in his life, including his sister's wedding, and his father's funeral. Even after being given the choice to plead guilty in exchange for an early release in 2013, Donald asserted his innocence and refused to take the plea, ultimately battling his way out of jail on moral grounds.

People Magazine Investigates' upcoming episode, titled Alibi, is set to revisit the tragic story of Willie T. Donald's 1992 wrongful conviction up until his release in 2016. It will go live on June 20, 2022, at 9 PM ET on ID as well as on Discovery+.

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Why was Willie T. Donald sent to prison all those years ago?

It was in June 1992 that Willie T. Donald was ultimately tried in a Lake County, Indiana court after being accused of the murder of 30-year-old Bernard Jimenez and several robberies, including that of a police officer.

Two of the robbery victims from February 27's night of the same year identified Donald as the attacker from the mugshot album, but they were unsure about it.

The accused had no criminal history and the mugshot in police records was taken from an incident during the later 1980s when the police mistook him into custody on suspicion of auto theft.

Kimerly Belinsky and Rhonda Williams were two victims of the robberies and they identified Donald as the attacker, testifying at the trial that he was the gunman.

Contradictory testimonies were given by Donald's sister and her then-fiancé/now-husband, claiming the accused was with them in Merrillville and Crown Point, south of the city of Gary, shopping for a car on the night of the crimes.

Two salesmen backed up the couple's story, while also claiming that a third male was present with them. However, they were unable to properly recognize Donald as the man they had seen that night with the couple.

In a decision handed down on June 12, 1992, a jury found Donald guilty and sentenced him to 60 years of life in prison on the grounds of aggravated burglary and first-degree murder.

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How was Willie T. Donald ultimately exonerated all those years later?

The Chicago Innocence Center, along with the Medill Innocence Project at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, started re-examining Willie T. Donald's case in 2006.

According to reports, Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter offered Donald the choice to plead guilty and get away with a shorter term (which he refused to take). The aforementioned prosecutor commented on the case and told People Magazine that:

"In my opinion, after reviewing the case, and obviously the court records support this, he did not commit this crime. They just had the wrong person."

It was ultimately revealed that an 18-year-old gang member named Lavelle Thompson was the real culprit behind the 1992 murder and armed robberies in the Glen Park area of Gary, Indiana. Donald was eventually released from prison in 2016 after serving 24 years of jailtime.

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Catch the upcoming episode of People Magazine Investigates on June 20, 2022, at 9 PM ET on ID as well as on Discovery+.