What Happened to Valentino Dixon? on ID is examining the case of Valentino Dixon, who was wrongly convicted of the murder of Torriano Jackson in Buffalo in 1991.
The real killer was Lamarr Scott, and he had confessed to the crime multiple times. But, despite these confessions, the police refused to accept that they had locked up an innocent man, and Dixon languished in a cell for 27 years.
On the evening of August 10, 1991, Valentino Dixon was hanging out with some friends at an intersection when an argument broke out. Suddenly, a semi-automatic gun was pulled out, and the firing began.
Dixon said he jumped in his car and fled the scene. When the shooting subsided, 17-year-old Torriano Jackson had been killed, and his brother, Aaron Jackson, and a bystander were also injured.
A short time later, the cops pulled over Dixon, and after he admitted to being at the crime scene, he found himself under arrest for murder.
In the days after the killing, eight eyewitnesses came forward, stating that Dixon was not the shooter. And even Lamarr Scott came forward to admit to murder; he confessed the crime to the police and during a TV interview.
Overall, Scott confessed ten times, but amazingly, the investigators still focused their efforts on convicting Dixon.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelProsecution withheld evidence in Valentino Dixon case
The cops had taken Dixon’s clothing to analyze them for gunpowder residue. When these residue tests came back negative, incredibly, the prosecuting attorneys withheld that evidence. This proved instrumental in leading to a massive miscarriage of justice.
Dixon was convicted of murder and sentenced to four decades behind bars.
The convicted man had been a keen artist in his childhood, and after his uncle sent him some supplies, he rekindled his talent and began painting pictures in his cell. Dixon showed some fantastic talent which led to his paintings being noticed on the outside. And this led to his case garnering more attention.
In 2018, Professor Marty Tankleff and his law students at Georgetown University began discussing Dixon’s case and even made a film about his experience. Their digging led to Dixon’s exoneration.
Tankleff identified the withholding of the results of tests for residue on Dixon’s clothes as a Brady violation in state law, which automatically means a retrial.
Lamarr Scott finally convicted for Torriano Jackson murder
In September 2018, the cops finally accepted Scott’s confession, and he officially pleaded guilty to the first-degree manslaughter of Torriano Jackson.
Scott said, “I pulled the trigger and all the bullets came out… unfortunately, Torriano died.”
Dixon was allowed to walk free after spending a whopping 27 years in prison. He has since become a successful artist and even counts Michelle Obama as one of his customers after she bought a piece for her husband.
Dixon specializes in painting golf courses and credits his talent with getting him out of jail. He said after his release, “Everybody wants golf art. I have some amazing artwork, but everyone wants golf art. I think that’s all connected to the story. Golf art got me out of prison. Without golf art, I’d still be sitting in jail right now.”
What Happened to Valentino Dixon? airs Monday at 8/7c on Investigation Discovery.