44 YEARS AND COUNTING
On February 6th, 1973 in Detroit Michigan, drug dealer Ruben Bryant was shot dead. 21 year-old artist Ray Gray was convicted for the murder, the conviction based on a fixed line-up and no evidence.
Raymond Gray is an internationally recognized artist. He is also in the 44th year of a life sentence for the 1973 murder of drug dealer Ruben Bryant. The state of Michigan has had in it's possession for over thirty of those years, an affidavit from one of the two hold-up men responsible for
Bryant's murder, that exonerates Gray! And yet Michigan recently turned Gray down, yet again for sentence commutation.
In 2007 Fred Rosen was looking to do a follow-up to one of his books and had the idea of interviewing lifers behind bars who had made something of their second chance. Also a film professor, Rosen recalled the 1960 film Convicts 4 starring Ben Gazzara as John Resko, a convicted murderer who became an artist behind bars. The art led to 'Reprieve' his autobiography that became that movie. Rosen started looking for someone like Resko and found Ray Gray in Muskegon Prison. After investigating Rosen realized he had found an innocent man. Not only had Gray been an artist before prison, he was a bout to go pro as a boxer, using the money he made from boxing to attend art school!
Rosen knew getting an innocent man out of jail takes years, if you are lucky. If not...Rosen had a decision to make. Was he in-or out?
44 YEARS AND COUNTING: An Innocent Man in Prison-Ray Gray and Fred Rosen
Year of Release: 2021
Length: 80 minutes