Ndume Olatushani spent 28 years in prison, 20 of those on death row, for killing a man he had never seen. Olatushani was convicted of capital murder in 1985 for the murder of a Memphis grocery store owner, Joe Belenchia, which took place during a botched robbery. Olatushani maintains that he was in St. Louis at his mother’s birthday party during the time of the killing.Olatushani was released from prison on June 1, 2012 after taking an Alford plea, a guilty plea in criminal court, where the defendant does not admit the act and asserts innocence.