Nationwide — Rickey “Fuquan” McGee, an African American man from Boston, Massachusetts, has finally been released after spending 28 years in prison for a murder he has long said he didn’t commit. Prosecutors now admit his conviction was tainted by police misconduct and an unfair trial.
According to Atlanta Black Star, McGee was only 19 when he was accused of killing convenience store clerk Geta Yalew in 1997. Investigators claimed he shot Yalew in the head and stole $94 before fleeing the scene. But there were no fingerprints, no surveillance footage, and no eyewitnesses — only two people who later told police that McGee had confessed to the crime.
Despite the lack of solid evidence, McGee was convicted of first-degree murder in 1998 and sentenced to life without parole. From behind bars, he maintained his innocence, studying law and co-founding the Harriet Tubman Project to help others who believed they were wrongfully convicted.
His case gained new attention when the New England Innocence Project uncovered claims that Boston police had manipulated witnesses and withheld key evidence. One witness, Natasha Hamilton, allegedly avoided prosecution for fraud in exchange for testifying against McGee — a deal never disclosed to his defense lawyers.
Hamilton also collected a $25,000 reward from the store after implicating McGee. Defense lawyers argued that she was driven by money and resentment, but her testimony remained central to the case that sent him to prison.
In March 2024, McGee’s lawyers filed for a new trial, revealing that police had pressured a 15-year-old boy into falsely implicating McGee. They also claimed investigators ignored another potential suspect, Damian Gray.
After reviewing the findings, Suffolk County prosecutors acknowledged that “a confluence of factors created a substantial risk of a miscarriage of justice.” On October 14, Judge Michael Ricciuti ordered McGee’s release while the court decides whether to overturn his conviction.
Outside the courthouse, McGee embraced his mother, Marion Merriman, who said it felt like she was giving birth to him again. He also reunited with his fiancée, Jacqueline Fonseca, a longtime advocate who helped secure his freedom.
“I got a freedom fetish,” McGee said. “I’m out, but I’m out to get more out.”