Julie Baumer gave a powerful presentation on the University of Michigan Innocence Project. The Innocence Project was started in New York in 1992 with the goal of exonerating, through DNA evidence, those who have been wrongly convicted. The organization is now across the country working with law schools and has since expanded to include non-DNA cases.
In 2005, Ms. Baumer was convicted of child abuse stemming from injuries sustained by her infant nephew who was in her care. She was sentenced to 10-15 years in prison. After losing two appeals, the Innocence Project accepted Ms. Baumer’s case and was able to show through expert testimony that her nephew’s injuries were from natural causes. She was released from prison in 2009 but her ordeal didn’t end until late 2010 after enduring two lost prosecutorial appeals and a re-trial in which she was exonerated. The clinic has reviewed 497 applications since 2015 and there is a 2-3 year waiting period before a case is undertaken. This is only after the applicant has exhausted his/her appeal process through the court system. Ms. Baumer is a realtor in Grosse Pointe and performs administrative duties for the clinic. To learn more about the Innocence Clinic, go to www.law.umich.edu/clinical/innocen ceclinic.