Terence Richardson walked out of a prison near Petersburg a free man Wednesday — he spent more than 26 years behind bars for a crime a jury found him not guilty of.
The release marks a significant moment for Richardson who hugged loved ones and those who advocated for him.
"We're incredibly joyful for them and their family that they're finally being reunited that he's being released. But the battle is not over because there's still one there and there's still the ongoing history of inequitable justice that we will continue to fight," said Rev. Cozy Bailey, president of Virginia State Conference of the NAACP.
Watch: Man serving life sentence seeks to clear name in 1998 death of Sussex police officer
The case has been controversial since it started in April 1998. That's when police officer Allen Gibson was killed in Sussex County, which is in rural Virginia roughly an hour and a half drive northwest of Norfolk. Gibson had confronted two men during a suspected drug deal when on a foot patrol. The men shot him in the woods behind Waverly Village Apartment Complex.
Terence Richardson and Ferrone Claiborne — now dubbed the "Waverly Two" — stood accused of killing officer Gibson. With the death penalty looming and with encouragement from trial attorneys, they initially took plea deals in state court (for involuntary manslaughter and accessory after the fact).
Federal prosecutors later pursued the case and took it to trial. A jury found the men not guilty of murder, but guilty of drug charges. In an unusual move, the presiding judge cross-referenced the murder charge's sentencing guidelines for the drug charges. The two were sentenced to life in prison based on the original pleas.
In the years since, those who petitioned for the men to be released claimed the case lacked substantial evidence — they pointed to a different suspect.
Watch related coverage: Decades after police officer killed, Biden grants clemency for 'Waverly Two'
"You know it takes a strong person to be able to do 26 years for a crime he didn't commit," Tynechia Richardson said of her cousin Terence Richardson in May 2024, when the family attended a hearing in the case. "I'm hoping and what I believe will happen, you know, is he is coming home."
Her hope materialized a little more than two months after former President Joe Biden commuted the Waverly Two's sentences.
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26 years later, and Richardson was finally on his way home.
"Seeing my mother and daughter out there, you know that was a wonderful feeling to finally hug them outside the prison, and my cousin. And Ferrone's family was there too," said Terence Richardson, moments after leaving prison.
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"It's an important step to have Terence home and Ferrone on his way to be home and start to rebuild their lives, but make no mistakes about it there is no closure in this case without us getting down to what happened to officer Gibson," added Richardson's attorney Jarrett Adams.
"This was a hard 26 years but we did everything we could to not lose our minds, to just say forget it and go rogue," said Richardson. "It was hard to even understand how did this happen to us. It was so crazy because like the last movie I saw when I left the street was Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence 'Life' and me and Ferrone just ended up in the same position they did. So knowing we were innocent really was our drive right there to find some way to get this story out because we need closure and officer Gibson's family needs closure."
Ferrone Claiborne is expected to be released soon. The Waverly Two said that's not the end either. They plan to continue advocating for full exoneration.
If you would like to read the complete court filings in the case you can find them on the Life After Justice website.
