My Brother Was Wrongfully Convicted of Murder. So Was My Son.

My brother was wrongfully convicted of murder. 20 years later, so was my son.

From left: Earline Brooks Colbert, her son Cedric Dent, and her brother Elvis Brooks. Credit: BERNARDO RODRIGUEZ FOR THE MARSHALL PROJECT By Earline Brooks Colbert, as told to Jamiles Lartey The year my son Cedric Dent was sent to prison for a murder he didn’t commit, it changed everything for me and my family. Except for one thing: the trips I took to Louisiana State Penitentiary to see him. Those, I was used to — because I had already been mak…

My Brother Was Wrongfully Convicted of Murder. So Was My Son.

Although it was a coincidence, I knew it wasn’t a mistake. What Louisiana was doing to men like my brother Elvis and my son Cedric was intentional.