Marvin Grimm : “Navy Vet Exonerated: 44 Years Wrongful Imprisonment”

Marvin Grimm, who spent 44 years in prison for the abduction, murder, and rape of a 3-year-old boy in 1975, has been exonerated by the Virginia Court of Appeals. The court granted a writ of innocence after DNA evidence proved that “no rational fact finder would have convicted him” of the crime.

The court’s June 18 ruling stated, “Indeed, when considered as a whole, there remains no inculpatory evidence by which Grimm would be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.” Grimm’s exoneration, as noted by the New York Times, places him among a rare group of Americans who have served some of the longest sentences before being cleared of their charges.

The case revolves around the tragic death of a child identified in court records as C.H. In November 1975, C.H. was seen wandering into the woods behind his family’s Richmond apartment. Within an hour, his mother reported him missing. A large search party combed the area for four days until the boy was found on the banks of the James River, less than 10 miles from his home. He was lying face up in shallow water with his arms folded across his chest.

Grimm, a 20-year-old husband, new father, and Navy veteran living across the hall from the boy’s family, became a person of interest. During the search, Grimm volunteered information about arguments with C.H.’s parents over running his lawnmower over children’s toys and C.H. playing outside in his underwear.

The child’s mother described Grimm as “odd,” and by December, the FBI received a letter suggesting Grimm as a suspect due to previous disputes with the family. This led to his arrest and subsequent conviction.

However, recent scrutiny of DNA evidence has revealed that Grimm was wrongfully convicted. The state’s attorney general supported his exoneration, and the court’s decision highlighted the lack of evidence that could have justly led to his conviction.

Grimm’s exoneration marks a significant moment in the justice system, correcting a wrongful conviction after nearly half a century.