First, I would like to thank everyone for visiting my website, and taking the time to support my efforts in clearing my name of this wrongful conviction by the Philadelphia Criminal Justice System. With your support, love and prayers my family and I have been working diligently to “Free Carmen Woods”! New supporters are needed and welcomed to keep this movement to “Free Carmen Woods “alive.

The following is an extremely intricate and stirring story and we hope that the testament of it can bring awareness to society and ignite some progressive activism. In 1982, I was wrongfully accused of murder. May Allah have mercy on the soul of the victim, Chester Laws, Jr. Although I did not commit this murder I was convicted and currently serving life without parole in prison. I have been incarcerated for the past 40 years of my life and still counting.
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Carmen Woods was sentenced to life in prison for a murder he did not commit. He has been incarcerated for the last 40 years. We, the family and friends, have appealed to the courts with new evidence and pointed out discrepancies that took place at trial, such as:
  1. The only alleged eye witness recanted his statement to a prominent news reporter, as well as, signing an affidavit with Carmen’s attorney.
  2. The victim’s father was caught communicating with a juror at trial, and Judge Albert F. Sabo the pro-commonwealth judge did nothing to remedy this matter.
  3. Carmen was represented by an incompetent lawyer who was later disbarred for alcoholism. He admitted to the PA Bar Disciplinary Board that he had a serious drinking problem.
  4. A new witness has come forth and is willing to testify that it was not Carmen that he saw running down the street.
All Carmen’s appeals were denied. The courts have rejected our appeals to present the new witness because of Time-Barr (paper not filed intime) or because they claim the evidence does not prove innocence. However, if the evidence that we uncovered was introduced at trial, it would have proved the alleged witness was lying and that Carmen is innocent.