Fighting for Her Brother’s Freedom

When Kenneth Waters was wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison in 1983, his family was shocked and devastated. His sister, Betty Anne Waters says, “We always thought that he would be coming home with us because all the evidence pointed to his innocence. None of us could believe the verdict.” Betty Anne was a single mother with two young children and no college degree. But in 1986, at her brother’s urging, she went back to school to help prove his innocence.

"I kept thinking, ‘What am I doing?’ I didn't even know if I could get through law school, let alone help him," Betty Anne remembers. While raising her children and working at a bar to pay for college, she earned three degrees. Shortly after becoming a lawyer, she found the biological evidence that would prove her brother's innocence in a courthouse basement. She wrote to the Innocence Project, which helped her secure DNA testing.  

 After 12 years in school for her, and over 17 years in prison for him, sister and brother were reunited again when Kenneth was exonerated in 2001. "He was so excited the first few months. He got a lot of attention, and he was very happy with that. But on the other hand, he had a hard time adjusting. Emotionally, he said he felt like he had just gotten out of a war," Betty Anne says. Six months after his release, he died in a tragic accident.

Betty Anne honors his memory by continuing to raise awareness about wrongful convictions and taking on innocence cases with the New England Innocence Project. A feature film about her amazing life story, starring Hilary Swank, is currently in production. Her greatest hope for the film is that it helps more innocent people get out of prison. “If this movie can help one other person want to do the right thing—one other prosecutor consent to DNA testing, one other police officer look into their cases before jumping to judgment—I’ll be happy.”  

Read more about Kenneth Waters’ case here.

A film about Betty Anne’s fight to free her brother - starring Hilary Swank as Betty Anne - is currently in production. Read more about the film here.