The hot July day in 1984 began like any other in Burlington, North Carolina for Jennifer Thompson-Cannino, she spent the day with her boyfriend and enjoyed a relaxing evening at her apartment after dinner. Jennifer went to sleep and her boyfriend left the apartment around 11:00 p.m. It would be the last time - for many, many years - that Jennifer would enjoy a peaceful, dreamy sleep...
...Around 3:00 a.m. she awoke to a tall, heavy black man on top of her, with a knife to her neck. She was raped and sexually assaulted, but managed to escape her attacker; neighbors heard her screams and brought Jennifer to the safety of their home and called police. Days later, after a comprehensive hospital exam, rape kit completed, and interviews with police and detectives, Jennifer identified her assailant in a lineup: she picked Ronald Cotton.
On January 18, 1985, Ronald Cotton was sentenced to life in prison plus fifty years. Ten years later, on June 30, Ron was exonerated with DNA testing. He was finally a free man.
Ronald gave me something that eluded me in the thirteen years since that sweltering summer night: the gift of forgiveness - not because I deserved it, but because that's what grace is about.
Simply. Beautiful. A story of grace and love and redemption and the true meaning of forgiveness. Jennifer made a mistake. She identified the wrong man - an innocent man - and sent him to prison for more than 11 years. But instead of anger, hostility, or vengeance, Ron accepted Jennifer's apology and embraced her with love, humility, kindness, and love. This is their story - as painful as it was - of freedom: from incarceration and self-guilt.
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