December 23rd, 1997. Reading, Pennsylvania. Just two days before Christmas, Melvin Ortiz was out with friends at a child’s birthday party. That same night, a fatal shooting took place at a local business, Effie’s Pizza Villa, causing the death of owner George Clauser. Two witnesses came forward to tell the police that Melvin committed the robbery. Despite having a very solid alibi and strong evidence in his favor, Melvin was sentenced to life in prison at age 19. Many people believe that politics and a poor investigation led to the wrongful conviction of Melvin Ortiz.

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