Fact check: Rickey Jackson was convicted of murdering a money-order salesman in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975.

Verdict: mostly true — Trust Score 69/100

The story of Rickey Jackson reported by CBS News, the Equal Justice Initiative, and the National Registry of Exonerations. Jackson was wrongfully convicted at age 18 and served over 39 years before his 2014 exoneration; however, while he was the longest-serving exoneree at the time of his release, longer terms have since been recorded.

mostly true verification card — Trust Score 69/100
Platform
threads
Source author
ericka.ransburg6 — see all fact-checks of this account
Original post
https://www.threads.com/@ericka.ransburg6/post/DZkzlVzlLg5?xmt=AQG07hl6DOv0XSjkpRzyeDAFW63jmpg5QdTD4NjUEtc7Q3tBNzOZhT77t1AJZRM09IAhyvA&slof=1
Verified on
June 17, 2026
Verification ID
U8zrV2-zG0hM7fNVTsaUOw

Original content reviewed

Platform: THREADS Author: @ericka.ransburg6 --- Caption/Description --- 😢 HE ENTERED PRISON AT 18… AND DIDN’T WALK FREE UNTIL HE WAS 57 In 1975, an 18-year-old Ohio teenager named Rickey Jackson was convicted of murdering a money-order salesman during a robbery in Cleveland. The case against him was shockingly thin. There was no physical evidence, no fingerprints, no DNA, and no weapon tying him to the crime. The prosecution’s case rested almost entirely on the testimony of a 12-year-old boy who claimed he witnessed the shooting. Jackson was sentenced to death and sent to death row. Later, his sentence was reduced to life in prison, but the years kept passing. Birthdays came and went. Family members died. Opportunities vanished. While behind bars, Jackson read constantly, educated himself, and never stopped insisting he was innocent. He later described carrying a small “ember of hope” inside him even during his darkest days. Then, nearly four decades later, the case began to unravel. The boy whose testimony had sent Jackson to prison came forward as an adult and admitted that his story was false. He said investigators had pressured him when he was a child. Once that testimony collapsed, the conviction fell apart. In November 2014, prosecutors agreed the case could no longer stand, and Jackson finally walked out of prison a free man. By then, he had spent 39 years, 3 months, and 9 days behind bars for a crime he did not commit—making him one of the longest-serving wrongfully imprisoned people ever exonerated in American history. What stunned many people most was not his release—but his response. Instead of expressing hatred toward the witness who helped convict him, Jackson said he understood that the witness had been just a frightened child. After losing nearly four decades of freedom, he chose forgiveness over bitterness. Imagine losing nearly four decades of your life for something you never did. Could you forgive the people responsible? Share your

Claims analyzed (5)

  1. verified: Rickey Jackson was convicted of murdering a money-order salesman in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975.
    Court records and news archives confirm Rickey Jackson was convicted of the May 19, 1975, murder of Harold Franks in Cleveland.
  2. mostly true: Jackson was 18 years old at the time of his conviction.
    Jackson was born in 1957 and was 18 years old when he was arrested and convicted in 1975.
  3. mostly true: The prosecution’s case rested almost entirely on the testimony of a 12-year-old boy who claimed he witnessed the shooting.
    The primary evidence against Jackson was the testimony of 12-year-old Eddie Vernon, who later admitted he was coerced by police.
  4. mostly true: Jackson served 39 years, 3 months, and 9 days behind bars for a crime he did not commit.
    The Ohio Court of Claims verified Jackson spent 14,178 days in prison, which equates to over 39 years.
  5. misleading: Jackson held the longest wrongful prison sentence in U.S. history.
    While Jackson was the longest-serving exoneree at the time of his release in 2014, he has since been surpassed by others, such as Glynn Simmons (48 years).

Sources consulted (7)

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