Joseph Jabir Pope, of Roxbury, has been behind bars for 37 years, serving a life sentence for a murder charge that everyone agrees he did not commit. Now, he's out of prison temporarily while fighting to have his conviction vacated completely, Pope told Jim Braude on Greater Boston.
"I was haunted by the fact that I was in prison for something that I really didn't do," Pope said.
The 1984 murder of Efrain DeJesus took place in the downstairs of a Dorchester home, and Pope was upstairs at the time of the killing. His lawyer, Jeffrey Harris, said everyone agrees Pope was upstairs, making it "a pretty clear-cut case."
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However, at the time of the crime, Massachusetts law stated that anyone involved in a felony can be convicted of felony murder, even if they were not the one who actually took a life.
Pope, a marine veteran, said that he has always fought to be released. "I didn't have the luxury of giving up. Because giving up would mean to die in prison and I wasn't prepared to do that."
He said that rage had been his "constant companion" during his time in prison. Now, he's waiting for the Supreme Judicial Court to consider an argument to vacate his conviction.
Getting out of prison while the court considers the argument, even though it could be temporary, was an "extraordinary moment" for Pope.
"For the period of time that I am out, I'm going to try to do some good. I want to make a contribution to my community in hopes of turning the young away from the road that leads to prison," said Pope.
Watch: There are Mass. men serving time for murders they didn't commit. This man wants a retrial
