In 1988, Benjamin Spencer — a Black man from a poor part of West Dallas — was sentenced to life in prison for the murder and robbery of a white business executive. He has always insisted he was innocent.
In 2021, he finally walked out of prison. And today, he has finally been exonerated – meaning his record will be wiped clean of the conviction, and he will receive monetary compensation.
Spencer is the subject of the recent book by former NPR reporter Barbara Bradley Hagerty, Bringing Ben Home. It chronicles how he got through decades behind bars while maintaining his faith that one day the truth would prevail. And according to Hagerty, his release only cements that he was “the luckiest of the unlucky.”
It took 34 years for Ben Spencer to walk free despite the legal aid and media attention on his case, including:
- An organization that helps those it believes to be innocent took up his case.
- A judge recommended a new trial in 2008.
- And alongside a private investigator, Hagerty published a report in The Atlantic in 2018 that cast doubt on witness testimony and police work used to convict Spencer.
Spencer was only freed after a re-investigation ordered by a new District Attorney in Dallas Texas.
“What drew me to Ben’s story is that it showcased: it’s so easy to convict an innocent person, and it’s nearly impossible to undo the mistake,” Hagerty said. Hagerty was there today when a courtroom full of Spencer’s supporters erupted into cheers as he entered.
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Exoneration and freedom.
In an interview with NPR just hours after his exoneration, Spencer described the moment as invigorating:
“To have them acknowledge that in such a powerful and mighty way and to proclaim it before the world, it meant a lot.”
Spencer was 22 years old when he was convicted. His wife was pregnant, he had a job. and he had no violence on his record. This year Spencer turns 60, and his son is 37.
He feels that he’s still getting to know his son.
“The dynamics of the relationship is changed when you haven’t actually been there to be a part of the process of raising him,” he said. “But we just kind of picked up the chapter where I was released. And it has been a blessing to just get to know him as an individual and as a man… we just kind of do things we can together.”
Holding onto faith.
Spencer never took the opportunity for parole, because that would have meant lying – falsely claiming his guilt on record. In a letter from prison he wrote: “Truth has always been more important to me than my freedom.”
In an interview with NPR today, Spencer says it wasn’t hard giving up parole:
“It was easy for me. I had come to accept whether I ever got out of prison or not, I could not and would not show sympathy or accept responsibility for something I was not responsible for. The truth has always meant more to me than that.”
Spencer has this advice for other innocent people who are still in prison today.
“Always hold on to hope. You know, I believe in God. I believe that God calls the sunshine on a good and as well as the bad. So with that, we just hold on to hope and pray that doors are open on our behalf,” he says.
“There was times I didn’t know whether I would ever get out.”
This episode was produced by Jonaki Mehta and Marc Rivers.
It was edited by Justine Kenin and Patrick Jarenwattananon.
Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
