Fighting Against Accusations of Crimes That Never Happened

Wrongful convictions undermine the very foundation of justice. But when no actual crime has occurred, they become even more appalling—condemning innocent individuals for offenses that never took place and exposing deep institutional failures.

In 2003, I was accused of murdering my father—a crime that never happened. My father had passed away a year earlier after a courageous battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Yet, against all logic, I found myself facing a murder charge. As I navigated this harrowing experience, I found solace and guidance in the works of philosopher Emmanuel Levinas, to whom I wrote letters during my time in detention.

At first, I believed my story was relevant primarily to the Israeli legal system. However, over time, I came to realize that my case was part of a far broader global phenomenon: wrongful accusations for crimes that never occurred.

This pattern of erroneous convictions—often driven by flawed forensic science, coerced confessions, and institutional inertia—remains prevalent and continues to erode the integrity of the justice system. As I delved deeper into the subject, I was shocked to learn that nearly one-third of all known exonerations involve no-crime wrongful convictions—a staggering statistic confirming that my case was not an isolated incident. Instead, it represents a systemic failure: individuals have been imprisoned for arsons that were actually accidents, assaults that never happened, and even murders in which no victim existed.

This issue is not new. One of the earliest known wrongful convictions in American history, the case of the Boorn brothers in 1819, revolved around a fabricated murder charge. They were convicted and sentenced to death based on coerced confessions—until the alleged victim was found alive. More than two centuries later, the same patterns persist.

Recent scholarship, such as Jessica Henry’s Smoke but No Fire: Convicting the Innocent of Crimes that Never Happened, explores how natural deaths are misclassified as homicides, accidents mislabeled as arsons, and people wrongfully incarcerated based on false allegations or coerced confessions. Henry’s research underscores how deeply embedded these systemic failures are, calling for urgent reforms to prevent future miscarriages of justice. (More details can be found on Jessica Henry’s website.)

Fortunately, I withstood the immense pressure of interrogation and trial. Had I not, I might not be here today to warn against the devastating consequences of these systemic failures.

My Book: The Seventh Beggar – Notes from Prison Cells

Planned for publication in early March, The Seventh Beggar – Notes from Prison Cells will mark 22 years since my wrongful arrest. The book is based on real-time journal entries I wrote during my detention, capturing both the emotional turmoil of being falsely accused and the deeper systemic failures of the justice system.

Yet, The Seventh Beggar is not just a personal account—it is a call to action. Through my own story, I expose the critical flaws that allow innocent people to be imprisoned for crimes that never happened. Legal systems must be designed to prevent—not perpetuate—wrongful convictions.

The philosopher Emmanuel Levinas once said, “Everyone is responsible for everything and everyone, before everyone – and I (am responsible) before all others.” Having been spared a wrongful conviction, I cannot ignore this responsibility. It is my duty to stand here, before everyone, and ensure that such cases do not happen again.

I invite you to engage with this urgent issue, reflect on its implications, and read my book. If you are interested in reviewing an early draft, please reach out. Justice must be more than an ideal—it must be a reality.