NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — It's been nearly 19 months of freedom for Thomas Clardy after he was released from prison for a 2005 murder. Now, his freedom is in limbo because an Appeals Court reinstated his murder conviction.

Clardy was originally convicted for a murder at an auto body shop in Madison in 2007. At the time, primary evidence came from an eyewitness. However, Clardy's counsel did not call for an expert on eyewitness identification, pointing to financial constraints.

"It's Thomas' adamant insistence he never committed this crime, and as I began to work on his case we continued to litigate over the last 11 years, it became clear the evidence pointed away from him," explained Jessica Van Dyke with the Tennessee Innocence Project.

Clardy served 17 years in prison before a judge overturned his conviction, citing ineffective counsel. Now, his battle for freedom is back after his conviction was reinstated.

"Thomas is in a limbo state, and he was incarcerated for 17 years for a crime he did not commit," Van Dyke said. "We were able to get relief in federal court and now, after 19 years months of freedom, that was reversed. Now, the state is asking him to return behind bars where he would have to serve the remainder of a life sentence.

The case made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where it declined to hear Clardy's appeal to keep him free. The word "faith" has taken on a different meaning during these challenging times for some.

Often, when talking about vigils, it's to honor and pray for someone whose life was taken. However, in this case, it's a prayer for a man who fought to get his life back and hopes to stay free.

"Thomas is a real believer in his faith; he not only believes that faith, but he tries to act that out every day through acts of faith," Van Dyke said. "It made sense to call it a prayer vigil because this is a group of people who are deeply impacted by Thomas; they've been deeply impacted by his story, and really have concerns that he may return to prison."

On Monday, the Tennessee Innocence Project held a prayer vigil as Clardy's case remains in limbo. As of publication, it's been remanded to the federal district court for additional litigation. A petition for exoneration and a petition for commutation have both been filed; Gov. Bill Lee has the ability to grant both petitions.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/nashville/prayer-vigil-held-for-tn-man-after-court-reinstates-murder-conviction/