Law Student Frees Innocent Prisoner
Former convict exonerated with aid of student's research

By Deepa Patel, The Emory Wheel, September 07, 2004

As Emory law student Jason Costa awaited the judge's decision, he knew his dream was about to come true.

He had slaved over this case for the past few months with the single aim of freeing a man who was wrongly imprisoned 17 years ago. The butterflies in his stomach would not abate, and a big smile lit up his face as Judge Cynthia Becker dismissed the convicted man's charges and ordered him to be released from prison immediately.

"It was extremely surreal," Costa said. "My boss became teary-eyed."

After delivering her judgment, Becker added that she hoped there would be many more years of interns with the same "fire in their belly" that Costa and other interns who worked on the case had, Costa said.

"This was not just like 'Hey, you did a good job,'" Costa said. "[She] recognized that... we had done something substantial."
Costa, 27, was working to free Clarence Harrison, of Decatur, who had been falsely convicted of rape, kidnapping and robbery in 1986. After spending 17 years behind bars, Harrison celebrated his 45th birthday at home with his family on Sunday.

Costa began investigating Harrison's case this summer while he was interning with Georgia Innocence Project, a nonprofit organization that works to free prisoners who are wrongly accused. Harrison is the first man the organization has freed in its one-year existence.

"My client getting released is a dream come true," Costa said.

Harrison's case began when a woman was abducted from a MARTA bus stop around 5 a.m. Oct. 25, 1986. She was taken to and raped in three different locations in the area and later identified Harrison as the culprit, said Aimee Maxwell, executive director of the Georgia Innocence Project.

At the time of Harrison's initial trial, the jury convicted him mainly based on the woman's identification, Maxwell said. Investigators ran blood tests, but the results only eliminated 12 percent of the population, she added.

Costa worked on getting DNA tested to prove that Harrison did not rape the woman. He also made all the preparations to take the case to court, Maxwell said.

Now, Costa is focusing on helping Harrison with everyday tasks, such as learning to use a computer, Maxwell said. He set up an e-mail account for Harrison, she added.

"He's been there beside Mr. Harrison, assisting in every way possible," she said. "He's been working with him to get his life back together."

Costa said that even though he is friends with Harrison, when they first met, Harrison was a bit reserved. But after a while, he opened up, Costa said.

"He's a nice, soft-spoken, just kind of normal guy," Costa said of Harrison. "He's very matter-of-fact and thoughtful."

Costa wants to continue working for public-interest groups that deal with prisoners' rights, homelessness or family issues.

"I want to do anything that you don't get paid much for," said Costa, whose internship at Georgia Innocence Project was unpaid. "They're all very focused on the community and helping people."

Costa said he is continuing his internship at the organization this semester because he feels it was worthwhile and something he saw himself doing long-term.

"He has done an amazing job," Maxwell said. "I'm sure he's done the most exciting thing as a lawyer before he becomes a lawyer."