After spending 46+ years in prison for a crime he did not commit, Ricky Lee Webb shares his story

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — After serving almost five decades for a crime he didn’t commit, one man speaks about his time spent in prison and his newfound freedom.

Ricky Lee Webb says he is now taking it one day at a time after serving a 46 year prison sentence.

“Every time I come out the building in the morning I saw ‘Hello world.’ Just look up and see the world because, once you locked up in the unit, you don’t know if you’ll make it out the next day. I’ve seen many deaths that goes on over night,” said Ricky Lee Webb, exoneree.

Ricky Lee Webb was convicted of murdering and sexually assaulting a woman in Gibson County in 1976. Testimonies later revealed that Webb was not at the scene of the crime. After writing to the Tennessee Innocence Project, Webb was able to be exonerated.

“The whole world has changed, to me, it has. Seeing, you know, cell phones, tablets — everything around has been redone. Cars — different shaped cars. Everything done changed,” said Webb.

Webb says, during his time in prison, he was able to build on his faith after an incident occurred that led him to receive care in an outside hospital.

“Only thing I knew was this lady, she kept saying — I bet you I was out there for about three days — I bet you she kept saying ‘God loved me’ over 3 thousand times. Every time she’s stepping in my room she kept saying ‘Ricky Webb you know God really loves you.’ Then after I got out of the hospital and back to the institution, that’s when I started to really really believe in God,” said Webb.

Webb is one of seven men through the Tennessee Innocence Project that have been exonerated from the years that were taken from him. He now hopes to help young boys ages 15 and up in his hometown to better themselves.

“Once you get in that prison world — I’m just gone try to maybe just see if I can help someone stay out, it’s a bad thing inside that prison world,” said Webb.

Webb is the fourth longest serving exoneree in U.S. history. He is now enjoying his stolen time with family.

Click here for more information on the Tennessee Innocence Project.

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