A Woman Sentenced to Death for a Crime She Didn’t Commit

Imagine waking up every day in a cage, knowing you don’t belong there. Knowing that the world outside is moving forward, while your life has been stolen. Imagine the terror of hearing the words “death row” attached to your name, knowing the state is preparing to kill you for a crime you had no part in.

For Marilyn Mulero, this wasn’t imagination. This was her reality.

At the age of 21, Marilyn was sentenced to death in Illinois, convicted of a crime she did not commit. She had no trial. No jury heard her case. No evidence was tested in court. She was coerced into signing a confession after hours of aggressive interrogation, without an attorney present.

They took her life without ever listening to her.

For nearly three decades, Marilyn sat behind bars, waiting for the justice system to correct its mistake. It never did. She fought. She endured. And when she was finally exonerated, she walked out into a world that had forgotten her.

No money. No job. No resources.

She was left homeless, trying to rebuild a life in a world she no longer recognized.

And she is not alone.

Thousands of innocent people have endured the same fate. Their lives shattered, their families destroyed, their names forever tainted.

This is why Marilyn founded the Wrongful Conviction Trauma Center (WCTC)—not just to fight for justice but to help exonerees survive the aftermath.

Because freedom is not the end of the fight. It’s just the beginning.