Betty Anne Waters was working in a pub when her brother was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. She believed he was innocent and wanted to help. So she got her GED. She put herself through college. She went to law school. And with help from the Innocence Project and her law school classmate (whom she met on the first day of orientation), she was able to exonerate him.
Sadly, Kenny Waters only had six months of freedom before he died in an accident.
This summer, the Waters family -- again with the help of the Innocence Project -- settled with the town of Ayer, Massachusetts, in a civil rights case over the police's alleged misconduct that led to the erroneous conviction.
A feature film called Betty Anne Waters, with Hilary Swank in the title role, is in post-production. Minnie Driver plays Waters's law school friend, who is now a public defender in New Haven.
Oh, and what's Waters doing now that she finished the case she went to law school to work on? She's managing a pub.
Ayer to pay $3.4m for unjust conviction, Boston Globe, July 15, 2009.
Betty Anne Waters wins $10.7M for brother's wrongful murder conviction, Nat'l L.J., Sept. 17, 2009 (you have to register to view the story).
Courtroom Drama, New Haven Advocate, Aug. 18, 2009.
Here's the real Waters at an Innocence Project event (she appears at 2:58):
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