Subramanyam Vedam, a man who was unjustly accused of murder in the United States and spent 43 years of his life behind bars, has finally been released. But now another trial awaits him - the Indian man could be deported. The BBC reported this.
According to reports, Vedam was acquitted in October in connection with the death of his former roommate based on new evidence. However, before his release, he was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Now there is a possibility that he will return to his homeland, India, from America, where he has lived for hundreds of years.
In 1980, a 19-year-old college student, Tom Kinser, went missing. Nine months later, his skull was found in the forest with a gunshot wound, after which Vedam was arrested as guilty. According to the investigation, on that day Vedam asked Kinser to take a ride in his car, but then the car was returned to its usual place - it was unknown who brought it.
On this basis, Vedam was arrested and not hostage-taken. Law enforcement agencies declared him a "foreigner who could have fled." In 1982, the court found him guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Later, he was sentenced to another 2.5-5 years in prison on drug charges.
Since then, Vedam has always emphasized his innocence. His family stated that there is no definitive evidence of the crime. Examinations and DNA analyses conducted using new technologies later became the basis for Vedam's acquittal.
But now, even after his release, his fate is in danger again. The reason is that he was placed on the deportation list due to a 1988 court verdict, and the ICE is currently considering sending him back to India.
Vedam immigrated to the United States with her parents when she was nine months old, where she grew up and lived as a legal permanent resident. Even before his release, he applied for US citizenship. Her parents and relatives also live in the United States and Canada.
Vedam's lawyer, Ava Benach, strongly condemned this situation, stating:
This incident could go down in history as one of the longest cases of unjust imprisonment in the American judicial system.
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