In September 2016, represented by the Great North Innocence Project and pro bono attorney David Schultz (Maslon LLP), Terry Olson was released from prison after serving almost 11 years for a crime he didn’t commit. He has now spent 10 years free, attempting to rebuild the life that was stolen from him. He has found the journey to be rife with both joy, and sorrow.
Terry was not fully exonerated, complicating his reintegration back into society, and posing enormous barriers for him to find true stability and prosperity. Despite the lack of any physical evidence connecting Terry with the crime scene, inadequate defense counsel, recantation from the State’s key witness, use of jailhouse informants, and many discrepancies in the State’s theory of the crime, 10 years on, Terry continues to fight a steep uphill battle to clear his name.
People like Terry who are freed from a wrongful conviction, but who are not exonerated, face unique challenges and barriers to reintegrating back into everyday life. The day they are released is the start of a new chapter of freedom and reconnection, but also the beginning of a new fight to clear one’s name once and for all.
Terry and his journey post-release exemplifies this dual reality: he has chosen to persevere in the face of immense injustice, take advantage of the joys that life offers, and try to rebuild despite the time that was stolen from him. And, he also continues to face hurdles to prosperity, health, and peace because he is not fully exonerated. His legal fight, one that requires time, work, and maybe most challenging of all, continually revisiting the worst moments of his life in the pursuit of a cleared name, persists.
Terry is a survivor. He is also tired of the fight. He has found and continues to find reasons to celebrate, love, and laugh. And, he yearns for the day when he can truly rest, knowing justice was served.
The Choice Between Freedom and Family
Like many wrongfully convicted people who are freed, but not exonerated, Terry’s path to exiting custody was a painful one that demanded he make an impossible choice: accept a deal with the prosecutor and be released immediately from prison, or continue to fight to clear his name without any guarantee of freedom.
Despite the significant weaknesses, including the State’s key witness recanting his testimony and extensive reliance on jailhouse informant testimony, and his legal team’s relentless attempts to convince the court to vacate his conviction, the prosecutor in Terry’s case continued to fight to protect the conviction. (To learn more about Terry’s legal case, visit: https://www.greatnorthinnocenceproject.org/our-clients/terry-olson/.)
The Wright County Assistant Attorney ultimately offered Terry a deal: Terry could be released immediately, but Wright County would maintain that Terry was guilty of murder. In order to be released, Terry would have to give up his right to appeal and his right to sue Wright County, its district attorney, or Wright County law enforcement officials involved in his case in the future; he would not have to admit guilt, but would still maintain a murder conviction on his record. Alternatively, Terry could wait for his appeal to be ruled on and go to trial, with Wright County having the ability to appeal any decision–a process that would likely take years.
When presented with the choice, all Terry could think about was his mom, Gladys. She was aging, and sick. Terry’s family wasn’t sure how much time she had left.
“I told her, ‘Mom, you’ve got to keep fighting. You can’t go out while I’m here [in prison]. I need you. You have got to stick around.”
In large part because of his mom, Terry made a seemingly impossible choice. He opted to be released from prison immediately, while losing his right to a future appeal or to pursue civil recourse against Wright County for his wrongful conviction. He also maintained a murder conviction on his record, a hugely significant barrier to housing and employment.
But, he was free.
“Signing that deal was based on my mother. I swear to you, I would have stayed right where I was till the day I died because I was innocent, but for my mom and my family.”
One of his first orders of business after his release was to go visit his mom at her assisted living facility.
“That was a blessed day. My mother was just ecstatic.”
High Highs and Low Lows
In the months following his release from prison after wrongful conviction, Terry experienced some incredible joys, but also some new painful realities.
The most joyful part of returning home was reuniting with his family, and even meeting some new family members.
He and his mom continued to bond and enjoy every moment together. Terry took on additional caretaking responsibilities for her soon after his return home.
“It wasn’t too long after I was released and once I got back on my feet that I became her power of attorney. I took care of her finances and her health concerns. At least once a week she’d call me to come fix her TV claiming she had hit the wrong button and didn’t know how to get it back going. I’m pretty sure she just did it to get me to come see her.”
In addition to reuniting with his mom, Terry was relieved to reintegrate back into his extended family. In particular, he enjoyed reconnecting with his baby sister Julie and spending time with his nieces and nephews.
He recalls meeting his newest great nephew about a month after coming home.
“That was absolutely cool as hell. It just meant so much, there were tears in my eyes.”
Alongside the beauty in reconnecting with loved ones, Terry was facing a serious struggle regaining stability as a result of the trauma of a decade of wrongful incarceration, and a murder conviction on his record.
Practically speaking, Terry needed to finding housing and employment, but navigating those systems after 10 years without practice was more complicated than he expected. He had no credit, no rental history, and no experience navigating new, technology-forward systems.
“So many things had changed over that 11 year period since the day I went in to the day I got out. It was like learning how to walk all over again. I had to learn new technology, get up to date on skills to get a job, and learn the ins and outs of renting an apartment when you have a second degree murder conviction on your record.”
Terry lived with one of his sisters for two months, and another sister for eight months. He said the experience was really tough, and his sisters didn’t know how to respond to his severe anxiety and PTSD. He needed his own space.
Eventually, armed with letters explaining his legal situation from the Great North Innocence Project and media coverage about his case, he was able to find a couple willing to rent him a townhome. The wife was familiar with the work of innocence organizations, and was sympathetic to his situation.
Prior to his conviction, Terry had worked as a metrologist, or someone who calibrates particular measurement devices. He had a successful career prior to his conviction, and his employer wanted to hire him back after he came home.
However, he needed a license and a vehicle, two more barriers to stability. Because of his murder conviction, despite being innocent, his other employment options were limited. But, he needed to make money now to afford his basic needs, bills, and housing costs.
He finally found work in a cabinet building factory where his nephew was a supervisor and could vouch for him. Once he was able to get his license back, his former employer hired him back to his old job.
Beyond taking care of his practical needs, Terry struggled with the culture shock that comes with reintegrating into free society after a long period of incarceration. Being innocent, but with his name still not fully cleared, only added a complicating layer for Terry’s healing journey.
“Prison and society are like two different worlds. Prison is a violent place. You can feel the hate like it’s a cloud resting over your whole body…After coming home, the first thing I had to do was release the hate and resentment that I had. In prison, I had to change the way I appeared or conducted myself, or I’d become a victim. But you can’t live in society that way.”
Long Term Impacts
The transition back into open society does not happen overnight, or even within the first few years after coming home. For wrongfully convicted people, and maybe more so for wrongfully convicted people who are not exonerated, the ripple effects of their conviction and incarceration can be long lasting. This has, unfortunately, been the case for Terry.
Terry continues to deal with anxiety and other significant challenges as a result of his PTSD. After a decade, prison took a significant toll on his body, as well, leading to long-term mental and physical health problems requiring expensive interventions, some of which Terry hasn’t been able to afford.
Even with these significant struggles, Terry did not give up on building a renewed life for himself. One that his mother would also be proud of.
He attended retreats for law students working with the Great North Innocence Project to share a firsthand experience of wrongful conviction with future attorneys. He credits those speaking opportunities with helping him stay on the right path toward rebuilding a life he felt proud of.
He spent as much time as possible with his ailing mother. He remembers her saying, “you treat me better than anyone else has treated me. I’m so glad you’ve come home.”
Gladys passed away on February 16, 2023. Terry is grateful for the time he had with his mother, even though it meant making a deal that still haunts him today.
“The years that I had with mom after I got out were the best years she and I ever spent together.”
Three years after returning to work as a metrologist, he experienced a catastrophic accident at work. He has needed ongoing care for his spine as a result, and ultimately had to leave the profession.
This left Terry financially unstable, with little safety net to fall back on. While incarcerated, whether wrongfully or not, individuals don’t pay into social security. Terry also wasn’t able to build up his credit, savings, or resume while in custody, putting him at a significant disadvantage financially.
“While I was in prison, it’s like I dropped off the face of the earth. I was just gone and then had to redo it all. That was a major hurdle to get over.”
However, even with this enormous financial setback, Terry persevered and worked creatively to build up enough financial stability to care for himself. Eventually, he saved up enough money to purchase a home that had once belonged to his aunt in rural Wisconsin. It wasn’t in great shape, but Terry had a vision to build himself the retreat he had longed for while sitting in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
He moved in in March 2023.
“It was an absolute mess at first. It took me the whole summer of 2023 to clean it up. But it looks pretty sweet out here now, I think.”
Terry also added a member to his family, a catahoula and border collie mix named Tmoe. Tmoe has been a God-send, according to Terry. When he’s going through a particular difficult PTSD episode, Tmoe is his constant companion and comfort.
“He’s my BFF. I don’t think I’d make it though a lot of this stuff that I still go through without him. He knows when I’m sick. He knows when I’m sad. He is a super loyal dog. He’s my best buddy.”
The Ongoing Fight to Clear His Name
While he continues to rebuild his financial, health, and social life, Terry isn’t able to escape his wrongful conviction. He continues to try and clear his name once and for all with the Great North Innocence Project’s help.
But, the process takes a toll. It requires he revisits some the darkest moments of his life.
“The experience so far has been hellish.”
And, he recently experienced a major setback in pursuing his exoneration with the announcement that the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office is closing its Conviction Review Unit. The CRU had been reinvestigating Terry’s case given the number of issues with his conviction. Just a few months before the announcement, Terry had participated in a lengthy interview with an investigator.
“I had a four hour interview with them. It was emotionally draining, trying to remember every single detail, especially the important one that I felt they needed to be aware of. It was draining emotionally and physically.”
With the unexpected closure of the CRU, GNIP and Terry are going back to the drawing board to explore other avenues to clear his name. The slow nature of the process, is incredibly frustrating. Terry feels the time ticking.
New Hardships
Recently, Terry has encountered new financial hardships. Despite working at a local hardware store, his lack of savings resulting from 10 years of wrongful incarceration and his expensive medical bills has led him to an untenable financial situation.
Terry may now have to sell the home he worked so hard to earn and transform. His truck recently broke down, and he is not sure he’ll be able to repair it.
“I have had a long road making it as far as I have. When I got my house, I remember thinking, ‘wow, I did it.’.. Now, I’m lost to what my future holds.”
He thinks about what a move would mean for Tmoe, too.
“I think about him, too. Where am I going to go where he is going to have this much freedom and this much fun? This is his yard.”
Terry hopes that he can find a way to find stability and security somehow. He is working as many hours as possible, and working to make his house has desirable as he can if he is forced to sell it. But the future remains unclear, in no small part because of the collateral consequences of his wrongful conviction and incarceration.
“My entire life is in limbo. It would be nice to get some justice; it’s impossible to get security and peace without justice.”
Terry isn’t ready to give up yet. He knows he has survived worse.
“I’m not giving up. I won’t. I say, ‘you never did before, why should you start now?’
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