Man exonerated after 23 years dies after one year of freedom
William Lopez, a 55-year-old from New York City, passed away suddenly after a massive asthma attack. Lopez, who spend 23 years in prison, was only released in January of 2013.
The case against Lopez dates back to 1989. Prosecutors claimed that Lopez and another man shot a drug dealer; however, no murder weapon or forensic evidence was found. The case hung on the word of two witnesses who placed Lopez at the scene – one of whom later recanted.
“His life was really robbed from him,” said Jeffrey Deskovic, whose Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation for Justice led to the efforts that overturned the conviction. “He wanted to go to college and to go to law school […] He wanted to set his wife up in a business, and he wanted to be an entrepreneur.”
Lopez is said to have spent the time between his release and his death with his wife, Alice, and his daughter, Crystal – who was only 14 months old when he was convicted.
UN Women launches #HeforShe campaign
On Sept. 20, UN Women announced the launch of their HeforShe campaign at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson, also known as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter franchise, fought back nerves while delivering the keynote address to delegates and guests.
The campaign itself calls for members of all genders worldwide to stand together to fight gender inequality near and far. The address extended a formal invitation to the male population, as Watson emphasized that gender equality is not only an issue for women.
“We don’t often talk about men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes,” said Watson. “You might be thinking, ‘who is this Harry Potter girl, and what is she doing up on stage at the UN?’ It’s a good question, and trust me, I have been asking myself the same thing. I don’t know if I am qualified to be here. All I know is that I care about this problem, and I want to make it better.”
Compiled by Alyssa Ottema