People Magazine Investigates Recap for Alibi
People Magazine Investigates Recap for Alibi
Willie Timothy (Timmy) Donald lived in the Gary, Indiana area with his family. He dreamed about being a baseball player and making it to the majors.
Bernie Jiminez was in the same area, where he raised his children with his fiancée Kimberly.
The Murder
On February 27th, 1992, Bernie and his family are held at gunpoint. Bernie tells Kimberly to go inside with the kids and is shot moments later. He is rushed to the hospital in serious condition, while Kimberly stays home and is questioned. She says the gunman is an African-American man with acne marks on his face and a slender build. She says he wore a leather jacket, red bandana and black cap and was probably in his twenties. Neighbors say they saw a man matching the description running from the scene and that they heard gunshots.
Sadly, Bernie died due to his injuries. Detectives try to find evidence of the killer’s identity, but it is difficult. They collect the bench Bernie threw, Bernie’s jacket and bullet casings.
Several robberies occurred that night shortly before Bernie’s murder. All the victims say the assailant had the same description Kimberly gave the police.
One of the victims, Rhonda Williams, recounted what happened to the police, saying how she heard a knock on the door and the gunman pushed himself in the house in an attempt to rob her, warning her not to call the police.
The Conviction
Victims are asked to look at mugshots, which leads to Kimberly and another victim believing that Willie Timothy(Timmy) Donald might be the assailant. He had been previously arrested for probable cause of grand theft auto, but never charged. He also had a bench warrant and traffic violations.
On March 3, 1992, Detective Outlaw and several other officers arrive at the Donald household to arrest him. He was initially told it was for a traffic violation, but was also picked out of a photo array. This leads to him being a part of a line up, where he is identified as the assailant. He is arrested and a search warrant is taken to his house to look for evidence.
The Donald family is very confused as to what is happening. An investigation begins, with the family trying to prove he had an alibi. However, the case goes to trial the following June. Kimberly and Rhonda testify against him, while his family tries to prove he was nowhere in the area at the time of the robberies and murder. Despite the family’s testimony, there was no proof from anyone else that he was with them that night.
Sentencing
On June 12th, Timmy is found guilty and sentenced to 60 years in prison, leaving himself and his family devastated.
In February 1993, Detective John Jelks tells Scott King that he recalled an incident that could flip the conviction. He said that four days after the crime and before the arrest, Rhonda Williams called the cops, claiming she saw the assailant who robbed her. However, once they arrived, the assailant was gone. During this time, Timmy was at work, which was proven by a coworker, who happened to be eating lunch with him.
Jelks wanted to appear in court with this evidence, but was sent home. At this point, it seemed like there was something fishy going in with the case.
A New Hope
While in prison, Timmy missed out on a lot of events, including his sister’s wedding, the birth of her children, and unfortunately, his father’s funeral. He began studying in the law library, where he got a bachelor’s degree and contacted a journalist who was willing to help him, along with several students.
This leads them to contacting Rhonda again, where she admitted she was coerced into identifying Timmy as the assailant by the detective and then by talking to Kimberly.
Freedom
They eventually are able to get another name….Lavelle Thompson, who Scott initially thought could be a suspect. He was a seventeen year old gang member who was killed right after the robberies and murders. Since a dead man could not be put on trial, The Innocence Project decide to put him at the scene of the crime by testing Bernie’s jacket for DNA. He is eventually revealed to be the killer.
In 2013, Timmy is offered a chance to be released if they let the robbery charges go. However, Timmy doesn’t want the murder charge on his record.
In 2016, Prosecutor Bernard Carter is elected to office and declares the case never should have been prosecuted, which leads to Timmy being released from prison.
Timmy now makes sure he always has an alibi for everything as he reflects back on the past 24 years. After his release, Nicky Jackson befriends him, where they started The Willie T. Donald Exoneration Advisory Coalition to help others in his situation.
