A man named Subramanyam Vedam (64) was wrongly sentenced to life imprisonment in America for an act he had nothing to do with. When he was finally released after 43 years, he was almost immediately arrested again. , now the authorities threaten to expel him from the country.
- Subramanyam Vedam was sentenced to life imprisonment for an act he did not commit.
- After 43 years in prison, he was acquitted and released.
- At large, he was immediately detained by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
- The family is now trying to prevent his deportation.
He ended up in prison for a crime he didn’t commit
More than 40 years ago, Subramanyam was arrested and convicted of murdering nineteen-year-old Tom Kinser of Pennsylvania, who was his roommate. The victim was missing for months until police found her body with a gunshot wound to the head. Despite investigators having no physical evidence, police charged Subramanyama because he had asked the slain student for a ride on the day of his death.
Although his lawyers maintained his innocence throughout, it took decades to exonerate him. However, in 2022, new evidence emerged that confirmed that it had nothing to do with the man’s murder.
He was released, but was arrested again
After his release, Subramanyam did not even get to return to his family because he was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.. They want to deport him to India, a country he hasn’t lived in since childhood.
His family suspected that if he was ever released from prison, he would have to fight a deportation order issued in 1988. But they did not expect him to be arrested immediately. “He was wrongly detained and we thought that if he behaved honestly that should mean something. We are disappointed that we didn’t even have a moment to hug him“said his sister.
ICE insists that Subramanyam will remain in custody pending his deportation. “He is a criminal with a criminal record dating back to 1980. This man will be detained until we arrange for his removal in accordance with all applicable laws and due process requirements“, declared the spokesperson of the office.
Subramanyam and his family moved to the US when he was only nine months old. He is a legal permanent resident of this country and his application for citizenship was accepted before his arrest. Relatives of the detained man say he only has distant relatives in India, while his sister and her children live in the United States.
