Georgia Innocence Project, along with co-counsel at Alston & Bird and the Mercer Habeas Project, filed an appeal to ask the Supreme Court of Georgia to review the habeas court’s denial of Erik Heard's petition.

Erik has spent more than 17 years wrongfully incarcerated for a murder he did not commit. There is no set timeframe for the Supreme Court of Georgia to make a decision about whether they will hear the appeal. This initial decision can take a year, or longer, in most cases. Erik’s case is an example of the enormous amount of time and resources that can be required to free innocent people from wrongful convictions under Georgia’s current criminal legal system. Erik and his legal team are determined to continue the fight for his freedom. Read more about Erik's case at link in bio.