Letter to: Undisclosed: Toward Justice (Rabia Chaudry, Susan Simpson, Colin Miller) Podcast covering wrongful convictions
Dear Professor [Miller / Simpson],
My name is Bruce Whealton, and I’m writing to seek your guidance—or any support you may be able to offer—regarding a wrongful conviction I’ve lived with for over 20 years in North Carolina. It impacts every aspect of my life.
I worked very hard to become a mental health professional. I treated trauma survivors, including survivors of rape—work I could still be doing if the police had not accepted the false claims of the woman who assaulted me.
In 2006, I was coerced into accepting a plea deal—after being arrested in 2003—despite being the actual victim. The plea was to second-degree kidnapping, even though I did not restrain or harm anyone. In fact, I was attacked by the perpetrator who burst into my home and physically assaulted me. Police never collected evidence or fully investigated the scene.
My own attorney refused to let me plead not guilty. He threatened me and orchestrated a process where I was silenced. I was never permitted to speak the truth. That is not a choice—it is coercion.
I spent seven months in jail, followed by years of stigma and loss. I live on disability, largely due to the trauma of the assault, the wrongful arrest, and false imprisonment. The toxic shame, undeserved, has led to isolation that makes each day a struggle. People assume I am “free,” but how can that be true? Why would anyone say I have been free?
For years, I was told no legal remedy existed. Only recently did I discover the Motion for Appropriate Relief. I’m now preparing to file it pro se, because I cannot afford an attorney. I am also seeking a Pardon of Innocence from Governor Josh Stein.
I was encouraged to read about Ronnie Long’s case on your site—his pardon after decades of injustice shows there is still hope. I know Undisclosed often focuses on murder cases, but I believe my story also exposes a deep systemic failure that has endured for decades.
My story is fully accessible online:
📘 Book: Three Times a Victim – https://bit.ly/ThreeTimesAVictimBook
🎙️ Podcast: https://bit.ly/ThreeTimesPodcast
🔗 More info: https://linktr.ee/brucewhealton
If you are able to review my case or point me toward any allies—legal, academic, or media—I would be deeply grateful. I simply want to be heard, and I cannot do this alone.
Thank you for your work and for giving voice to people failed by the system. It would mean everything to have someone see the truth in mine.
Sincerely,
Bruce Whealton
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