#594 Jason Flom with Greg Bright

Jason Flom (0:00)

We first heard the harrowing and ultimately triumphant story of my friend Greg Bright when he told it to my fellow Wrongful Conviction host, Lauren Bright Pacheco. Greg spent almost 28 years in Angola prison for a murder. He had nothing to do with, came out at 50 years old in 2003 Now, Greg's story is important because keep in mind, Louisiana caps compensation for wrongful imprisonment at 400,000 or 40,000 a year for 10 years.

Barely enough to stay alive. Greg has now hit that cap and the payments have stopped. So even though he spent almost three decades wrongfully imprisoned and lost the most important earning years of his life, that's all he gets. But earlier this year, Louisiana lawmakers actually unanimously agreed on something. They unanimously passed a bill that would have raised the cap from 400,000 to 600,000 and extended the compensation from 10 years to 15 But Governor Jeff Landry vetoed it. So think about that. The state takes 27.5 years from a factually innocent man. He proves that he was innocent, fights like hell. And then the state says, this is all it's worth. Take your 400,000 over 10 years and get lost, basically. So now Greg is 70 years old and facing an awful decision, which is that he may have to sell his humble home just to be able to afford to pay his bills.

His story is one I'll never forget, we'll never forget, and once you hear it, you'll never forget it. I promise. Check it out. Here is his interview with Lauren Bright Pacheco.

Lauren Bright Pacheco (1:44)

Tens of thousands of people incarcerated in the US have been wrongfully convicted and are being held in captivity for crimes even as they adamantly maintain their innocence.

What's it like to be one of those imprisoned people? And what's it like to be their ally, the one outside committed to fighting for their freedom? I'm Lauren Bright Pacheco, and this is Wrongful Conviction.

Early on an October morning in 1975, a 15-year-old named Elliott Porter was shot and killed in a housing project in New Orleans, Louisiana. 20-year-old Gregory Bright, along with a 17-year-old co-defendant, someone he'd never met before, by the way, became suspects after a known drug addict turned state's witness, implicated them in a crime in exchange for reward money.

Arrested and charged with second-degree murder, Gregory and his co-defendant's trial would last for just one day, and the jury deliberated for all of 13 minutes before convicting them. They were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. Though Gregory Bright was illiterate when he entered prison, he taught himself to read, then taught himself the law, getting his appeals all the way to the state Supreme Court before the Innocence Project of New Orleans stepped in. Ultimately, he would spend 27 and a half years in prison, for a crime he did not commit. Today, Bright is an accomplished actor, who's appeared in 12 Years a Slave, American Horror Story, and Tremé. He is also the focus of an incredible one-man documentary stage play, based entirely on his words and recollections, titled Never Fight a Shark in Water, The Wrongful Conviction of Gregory Bright, which explores so many aspects of this staggering injustice. It was written by New Orleans-based writer, Lara Naughton, who is also a teacher, compassion trainer, and survivor of a violent crime. Lara and Greg have forged a mutually supportive, healing friendship and bond, and they are joining us today. I am so excited for this conversation. Welcome both of you to Wrongful Conviction.

Greg Bright (4:09)

Thank you so much.

Lauren Bright Pacheco (4:10)

Thank you.

Lara Naughton (4:11)

It's great to be here.

Lauren Bright Pacheco (4:12)

Greg, I wanted to start with you.

Can you just take me back before all of this unfolded? What was your childhood like?

Greg Bright (4:22)

I had come from a small family. It was me, my mom, my two sisters, and my stepfather. We did a lot of things as a family. We went to the movie theater, sat at home, and played cards and stuff like that.

Average stuff.

Lauren Bright Pacheco (4:40)

And you had a lot of responsibility placed on you as well because you dropped out of school in sixth grade to care for your stepfather.

Greg Bright (4:48)

Absolutely, and it was really a tough time for me. Be a kid, 13 years old, having a full responsibility to care for a grown adult. It often had me wondering what my life would turn into at that point.

Lauren Bright Pacheco (5:07)

You're obviously a very creative man. Did you have hopes and aspirations when you were a child in terms of what you wanted to be when you grew up?