Melvin has been in prison for 23 years for a crime he didn’t commit.
He has tried every avenue possible to get his case heard and reviewed, but a nefarious web of political and legal corruption has inhibited his actions every step of the way.
Follow our navigation of the complex storyline that led to Melvin’s erroneous conviction - from political corruption, to small-town antics, to proven judicial misconduct.
Let’s bring him home.
#FreeMelvinOrtiz
"Needle in a Haystack" is a short documentary that unravels the complex web of political, judicial, and police corruption in Reading, Pennsylvania that put an innocent teenager behind bars for over half of his life. Watch the full version here.
Meet Melvin
Melvin has spent more of his life in prison than out in the world. He was 17 when the crime happened, 18 when he was arrested, and 19 when he was sentenced to life without parole. He’s made the most of his situation, but there’s more to him than just a man who was targeted and wrongfully convicted.
About the Case
Melvin’s case is not a case of eyewitness misidentification. It is a malicious, purposeful, and calculated attempt to pin the murder of a good man on an innocent boy. A nefarious and twisted web of political, judicial, police, and media corruption ensured that Melvin was set up to fail from the start. He never had a chance.
