“I spent four years in prison for a crime I didn’t commit," Charlie told him. "And I wasn't alone.
"My wife—your mother—went to Hell and back trying to prove my innocence, but it started to take a toll on her.
"I was accused of assaulting a woman. She'd been drunk when it happened and couldn't remember the name of the guy who did it, so she said it had been me.
"Based on a physical description of the attacker, police showed her my photo in an array of nine men. The woman selected my photograph, and I was arrested the following day.
"There was just one witness—her friend—who had been just as drunk to back up her story.
"They never contacted me to ask my side.
"I was strip-searched, put in an isolation cell completely naked because of my past use of antidepressants, which deemed me worthy of suicide watch. Next, I was marched into court in an orange jumpsuit and shackles.
"I spent four years in jail. I lost my job, had my life threatened, spent almost ten thousand dollars in out-of-pocket legal fees until I was able to leave the slammer and clear my name. Someone finally stepped up and provided texts proving the girl didn't know who'd assaulted her. She and her friend were both charged with perjury.
"Jail was terrible, I might add, living like an animal locked in a cage wasn't for me.
"I wasn’t angry. Instead, I channeled my energy into raising awareness about the problem of wrongful convictions, and the danger the death penalty posed with respect to executing innocent people.
"To date, nationwide, there have been two-hundred and eighteen wrongful convictions have been proven through DNA, and many additional exonerations achieved by other means, including the discovery of new evidence, materials purposely withheld from the defense, and the recantation of eyewitness identifications.
"Nevertheless, I couldn’t escape the stress of being a prisoner. Even years later, I'd have panic attacks triggered by a memory, a casual event, someone yelling at me, or looking at me funny.
"The anxiety would arrive even in the most casual and safe of circumstances, like at family gatherings. I became hypersensitive to what people said or didn’t say, and how they'd said it.
"In the end, your mother and I decided to move away and we pretty much kept to ourselves. Your mother had inherited some money from some relative, and she supported the family and kept us together.
"Once, when I'd come home from doing the groceries, I found the house on fire. You know the story from there—I managed to get you out of the house and went to look for you after my burns had been treated.