This is the sad, interesting and touching story of Clarence Moses-El, a Black man convicted after a woman dreamt that he raped her.
The story starts on a night in 1987, after a woman was brutally raped and assaulted in her apartment. The night the incident happened, the woman had gone out to party and drink with three men. After having a good night out with the three men, on reaching home, she was accosted by an unknown man who beat her wickedly and violently raped her. The incident left her with broken facial bones and a blind eye.
After the incident, police took over the matter. She was asked to identify her attacker. According to the woman, she believed one of the men she had gone out on the night of the incident was responsible. However, just some days after giving police the narrative that it could be one of the men she went out to drink with, she changed her story. In her new story, she stated the her attacker was her neighbour who happened to be Clarence Moses-El. According to her, this new revelation came to her in a dream.
That’s it – just like that, Moses-El was picked up by the police and convicted of raping the woman. This innocent Denver man pleaded his innocence, but nobody listened to him. Even before the trial, he was already judged to be guilty.
Let’s dive into the real story…
In the heart of Denver, Colorado, a devastating story unfolded that would go on to reveal cracks in the American justice system. It’s a story soaked in heartbreak, injustice, and one man’s resilience in the face of overwhelming odds. This is the tale of Clarence Moses-EL, a man who lost nearly three decades of his life because of a rape accusation that originated—not from physical evidence or witness testimony—but from a dream.
Yes, a dream.
This unbelievable story began in the summer of 1987. At the time, Clarence Moses-EL was a quiet neighbor, living in a community like any other. That summer, his life would be derailed by an accusation that made headlines and eventually, a conviction that stole his freedom for 28 long years.
A Night of Celebration Turns into a Nightmare
It all began one night in 1987. A woman, whose identity remains protected for legal and ethical reasons, had spent the evening out drinking and socializing with three men. The night seemed ordinary—full of laughter, drinks, and the carefree buzz of a warm summer evening. But as the woman returned to her apartment in Denver, tragedy struck.
She was violently assaulted and raped by an unknown man. The attack left her physically and emotionally scarred—her facial bones were shattered, and one of her eyes was left permanently blind. The brutality of the assault sent shockwaves through the local community. The police were immediately involved, and an investigation was launched.
During the initial questioning, the victim pointed fingers at the three men she had been out with earlier that night. She believed her attacker was one of them. The police started their line of inquiry based on that claim.
But then, something astonishing happened.
A Name From a Dream
Just a few days after the assault, the woman changed her story. This time, she claimed her attacker wasn’t any of the three men she had named earlier. Instead, she said the identity of her rapist had come to her in a dream.
And the name she saw in that dream?
Clarence Moses-EL.
He was her neighbor, someone she barely interacted with, and crucially, someone who hadn’t even been with her that night. But the dream was enough for the police. Clarence was arrested, charged, and eventually convicted of rape and assault.
At the time, no DNA testing was conducted. Despite physical evidence being collected—like the rape kit and other biological samples—none of it was tested. Clarence maintained his innocence from the moment he was arrested, but it didn’t matter. The case was built almost entirely on the dream-inspired accusation.
Even before the trial began, the media and the justice system seemed to have made up their minds. Clarence was guilty. The jury convicted him, and he was sentenced to 48 years in prison.
Fighting From Behind Bars
Clarence was only 32 years old when he entered prison. With his whole life ahead of him, he now faced the grim reality of growing old behind bars. But he wasn’t ready to give up. Year after year, Clarence fought to prove his innocence.
In the mid-1990s, Clarence connected with the Innocence Project, a legal organization known for helping wrongfully convicted individuals. With the help of Barry Scheck—one of the co-founders of the organization—Clarence petitioned for DNA testing on the rape kit that had been stored by the Denver Police Department for years.
In a promising development, a court agreed and issued an order for the evidence to be tested.
But just when things seemed like they might turn around, tragedy struck again.
The evidence, clearly labeled “Do Not Destroy,” was thrown away by the Denver Police Department. The rape kit and biological samples were discarded without being tested, destroying the one opportunity Clarence had to conclusively prove his innocence through science.
An internal investigation was launched to determine how the destruction occurred. The police department chalked it up to “communications problems.” No foul play, they claimed. But the damage had been done.
“It felt like they were determined to keep the truth buried,” Clarence later said. “That moment nearly broke me.”
Holding On To Hope
Despite the crushing blow of losing the physical evidence that could have cleared his name, Clarence did not surrender. His faith, spirituality, and unwavering belief in his innocence kept him going. He spent the following years reading legal documents, writing letters, and educating himself about the law.
But years passed. Then decades. His voice was drowned out in a system that was seemingly designed to forget him.
A Letter From the Past
In 2013, an unexpected development reignited Clarence’s hopes. He received a letter from LC Jackson—one of the three men who had originally been out drinking with the victim on the night of the assault. Jackson was, at the time, serving a prison sentence for raping a mother and daughter in 1992, just two miles from where the 1987 assault had taken place.
The letter from Jackson began with a haunting line:
“Let’s start by bringing what was done in the dark into the light. I have a lot on my heart.”
Jackson admitted to being the one who had been with the woman that night in 1987. He claimed the sex had been consensual, not rape, but the admission was significant. This was the first time anyone other than Clarence had acknowledged being involved in the incident.
The confession gave Clarence’s legal team the leverage they needed. They filed a new motion for a retrial, citing newly discovered evidence and a credible confession. Finally, the case was being reopened.
The Turning Point: December 2015
In December 2015, Denver District Judge Kandace Gerdes reviewed the evidence—including the confession letter—and ruled to vacate Clarence’s convictions. After 28 years behind bars, Clarence Moses-EL was granted bond and released pending a new trial.
Now 60 years old, Clarence stood outside the jailhouse where he had spent most of his adult life. He was greeted by cheers, tears, and warm embraces. Most touching was the moment he hugged three of his 12 grandchildren—for the very first time.
“This is the moment of my life,” Clarence told reporters. “I’m just looking forward to going home and sitting in a real chair. Something comfortable.”
His eyes welled up with tears. “I waited a long time for this.”
A Justice System on Trial
The reopening of Clarence’s case sent shockwaves through Colorado’s legal community. The district attorney at the time, Mitch Morrissey, maintained that Clarence’s conviction was valid, even in the face of Jackson’s confession.
“Those who now argue that he was convicted solely on a dream are either unaware of the complete facts or disregard them,” Morrissey stated. “The victim testified during the trial and was cross-examined. The jury believed her.”
But critics argued that the case was deeply flawed from the beginning. Eric Klein, one of Clarence’s attorneys, highlighted the lack of physical evidence and the bizarre nature of the accusation.
“There was no forensic evidence. No eyewitness testimony. Just a dream,” Klein said. “And still, that was enough to put a man away for nearly 30 years.”
The Struggle for Support
Even with the confession and the overturned conviction, Clarence’s journey remained an uphill battle. Larry Hales, one of his longtime supporters, revealed how hard it was to get media attention or support from non-profits.
“People worry about their reputations,” Hales said. “They’re afraid to publicly support someone accused of rape—even when the evidence shows he didn’t do it.”
Journalist Susan Greene, who reported extensively on Clarence’s case for The Colorado Independent, echoed similar frustrations.
“Everything that could go wrong in this case did go wrong,” she explained. “Mitch Morrissey did everything he could to protect his office from admitting fault.”
What Comes Next?
A new trial was scheduled for May 2016, though it remained unclear if the district attorney would proceed with it. As of the bond hearing, Clarence’s legal team said their focus was still on the criminal case and not yet on filing any civil lawsuits.
But the damage had been done. Clarence Moses-EL had lost 28 years of his life, missed the milestones of his children, and only got to meet his grandchildren after they were already grown.
Freedom at Last: Clarence Moses-EL is Cleared and Compensated
After nearly three decades spent locked away for a crime he swore he didn’t commit, Clarence Moses-EL finally took his first full breath of freedom in 2015. That year, a Denver judge granted him a new trial—a decision that would change the course of his life. The breakthrough came after another man, LC Jackson, delivered a jaw-dropping confession, admitting involvement in the 1987 sexual assault that had landed Moses-EL behind bars. The judge ruled that Jackson’s admission constituted new and credible evidence—enough to warrant a fresh look at a case that had always teetered on uncertainty.
It took another year for justice to fully catch up. In 2016, Clarence stood before a jury for the second time. But this time, the outcome was very different. After a thorough review of the facts, the jury acquitted him of all charges. The verdict didn’t just exonerate him—it declared what he had always known: that he was innocent.
Still, legal vindication was only part of the battle. The emotional and economic scars of nearly 30 years in prison don’t disappear overnight. Clarence had missed the chance to raise his children, to build a career, to grow old with dignity. But in 2024, another chapter finally closed, and it came with long-overdue recognition and relief.
On a Thursday morning in 2024, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser made a public announcement that marked the end of the state’s long, misguided pursuit. He stated that his office would not oppose Clarence Moses-EL’s formal petition for exoneration.
With that declaration, the legal saga officially came to a close.
The announcement meant more than clearing Moses-EL’s name. It unlocked the door to something tangible—something restorative. Under Colorado’s Exoneration Act, wrongfully convicted individuals are entitled to financial compensation: $70,000 for each year spent behind bars. For Clarence, that meant approximately $2 million for the 28 years he lost.
It wasn’t about the money, he insisted. It was about what the money represented.
“That’s another reason why I’m happy,” Clarence said in a moment of reflection. “Because it allows me to regain a lot of things that meant so much to me, so dear to me—that now, having possession of these things again, it makes me feel like a full person.”
After decades of being treated like a criminal, Moses-EL was finally acknowledged as a victim of injustice. And while no sum could truly repay the years stolen from him, the compensation offered a path to rebuilding. It meant secure housing. It meant healthcare. It meant being able to take care of his grandchildren and live the rest of his days on his own terms.
But more than anything, it meant reclaiming his dignity.
Legacy of a Dream
The story of Clarence Moses-EL is more than just a case of wrongful imprisonment. It is a reflection of how fragile justice can be, especially for Black men in America. His ordeal forced lawmakers to reexamine the importance of preserving DNA evidence. In fact, his case helped push legislation that now requires authorities to safeguard such crucial material.
Today, Clarence is a symbol of resilience and perseverance. His life serves as a powerful reminder that justice, though often delayed, must never be denied.
“I’m just glad to be home,” Clarence said after his release. “That surpasses a whole lot of things.”
He may have lost time, but he never lost his spirit.