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Imagine waking up one morning with a knock at the front door. There stands an unidentified woman, and in the next instant you are thrown to the floor by a handful of cops, handcuffed and arrested for rape and armed robbery.
For Ken Wyniemko, this was reality and the beginning of a nine-year nightmare, which ended when DNA evidence exonerated him in 2003.
Wyniemko will speak in the Law School Courtroom 4 p.m. Thursday and discuss his wrongful conviction and life after exoneration.
In 1994, Wyniemko was a bowling alley manager in Michigan and had never been in trouble with the law.
"One morning I'm at home lying in bed," Wyniemko said. "The next, I'm talking to two detectives about a rape I didn't do."
Wyniemko found himself on trial after a jailhouse snitch said he confessed and the rape victim who had never seen the face of her attacker, identified him as her attacker.
He was found guilty of 15 counts of first degree Criminal Sexual Conduct and was sentenced to 40-60 years for each count.
"Ironically, it was my dad's birthday, so I will never forget it," Wyniemko said.
His father died in May of 2000 while Wyniemko was in prison.
Wyniemko was exonerated in July 2003 after DNA evidence showed he did not commit the crime. With the help of The Innocence Project, Wyniemko was set free as the 129th person exonerated by DNA evidence. Wyniemko, who is now a member of the Board of Commissioners for The Innocence Project, said194 people have been set free by DNA to date.
The Innocence Project of South Dakota (IPSD) is hosting Wyniemko on Thursday. President Leanne Klute, a third-year law student, said she met Wyniemko last year at a conference.
Klute said, "It is incumbent upon us as attorneys to look at the justice system and fix problems with it."
IPSD takes applications from inmates with cases originating in South Dakota. Initial investigations are conducted and opinions are presented. When cases are deemed valid they are sent to volunteer attorneys who review the case and determine whether the organization should move forward.
Wyniemko speaks at 130-140 engagements a year.
"My hope is that the general public will understand that innocent people are convicted and sent to prison every week," he said.
Reach reporter David Whitesock at David.Whitesock@usd.edu.
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