In 1991, Valentino Dixon is sentenced to 38 years in prison for the murder of Torriano Jackson when they were both 17 years old.
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Throughout all of his years in jail, he never stopped claiming his innocence, without getting any attention from the American judicial system.
After a guard gave him a picture of a golf course, he developed an interest and spent most of his free time drawing. Mr. Dixon has confirmed that while he has never physically played the sport, his mind was in the midst of the action.
Many sketches later, he decided to send his works to Golf Digest magazine. As the journalists started paying attention to his drawings, the media began looking into his case.
Believing Valentino's claim to innocence, journalist Max Adler found evidence to support his case after noticing the sloppy work the investigation had done. Certain testimonies were not compatible and there was no tangible evidence.
Due to the magnitude of the story, other media channels joined in. The defense was recovered by students at Georgetown University, who revealed that a negative gunpowder test on Dixon's clothes had been covered up by the orginal prosecutors. Along with the necessary evidence brought in front of the new judge (the one presiding over the case having retired), Mr. Dixon was finally exonerated of the murder.
Valentino Dixon would have probably never left the prison gates if it weren't for his passion for golf. One of the lawyers working on the case stated afterward that it is quite alarming that a magazine could have a more efficient role than the justice system.
