Brown, Goldstein & Levy attorneys Neel Lalchandani and Catalina Odio obtained an important victory on behalf of Tyrone Jones, who was wrongfully convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to life in prison; he served ten years behind bars before being exonerated. Mr. Jones was awarded every dollar allowed under the Walter Lomax Act (“WLA”), plus housing, education, and health benefits. Neel and Catalina, together with co-counsel Ralph Mayrell and Mark Russell of Kramer Levin, secured this relief for Mr. Jones after a contested proceeding before the Office of Administrative Hearings.
Mr. Jones was 21 years old when he was arrested in Baltimore City and charged with the murder of a 16-year-old he had never met. Although acquitted of the murder and handgun charges, he was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder. He went on to spend 10 years in prison before his conviction was vacated and the State chose not to retry his case.
Mr. Jones, now 48, applied for compensation under the WLA, but was initially denied. A hearing officer ruled that the charge of conspiracy to commit murder did not qualify for compensation. Following an intensive advocacy campaign supported by BGL staff and allies, the General Assembly passed legislation that changed the eligibility standards in 2024, which allowed Mr. Jones to finally see compensation for the injustice of his wrongful conviction.
“BGL’s WLA practice is a key part of our holistic approach to fighting the injustice inherent in the criminal legal system,” Neel explained. “In addition to protecting individuals’ rights through our criminal defense and police misconduct practices, obtaining compensation for exonerees helps support them when they come home from prison.”
“In a system that prizes finality above all else, defendants are told over and over that they get one bite at the apple,” Catalina said. “A silver lining of having to prove factual innocence under the WLA is that petitioners have an opportunity to set the record straight in front a judge and to refute a state that continues to insist they may have done it. This process is retraumatizing, but it can also be cathartic. As Mr. Jones said after the two-day hearing, ‘even if we don’t win, I feel like I won.’”
Maryland Governor Wes Moore apologized directly to Jones for the suffering he had to endure at the hands of the State.
“Mr. Jones, as the governor of this state, but also, more importantly, as a father and a husband and a son and a fellow Marylander, I want to share words that you deserve to hear, because I’m not just speaking on behalf of myself and the treasurer and the comptroller, I’m speaking on behalf of this entire state: I’m sorry. It should have never happened, and I know there are no words that can undo the injustice and what was taken away from you and your family,” Governor Moore said.
ABOUT NEEL LALCHANDANI
Neel Lalchandani represents individuals, nonprofits, and companies in a diverse array of civil rights and commercial matters. Among other victories for his clients, Neel has helped secure several of the largest payments in Maryland history for victims of police misconduct, including more than $80 million for innocent men imprisoned for crimes they did not commit. Learn more about Neel here.
ABOUT CATALINA ODIO
Catalina’s practice includes cases involving civil rights, disability rights, employment, wrongful convictions, and police misconduct. She is committed to a career as a trial lawyer with a diverse practice, including public interest litigation. As an undergraduate, she followed that aspiration to Immigrant Justice Corps (IJC), where she served as a fellow for two years after college. At IJC, she represented low-income individuals and families in their citizenship, residency, and work permit applications, assisting clients from screening through final interviews before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Learn more about Catalina here.
ABOUT BROWN, GOLDSTEIN & LEVY
Founded in 1982, Brown, Goldstein & Levy is a law firm based in Baltimore, Maryland, with an office in Washington, D.C. The firm is nationally recognized in a wide variety of practice areas, including complex civil and commercial litigation, civil rights, health care, family law, and criminal defense. Above all else, Brown, Goldstein & Levy is a client-centered law firm that brings decades of experience and passionate, effective advocacy to your fight for justice.