FTI Success Stories

Charles Triplin: Not Guilty

After more than four years and the participation of nearly every staff member to ever work at FTI, the case of Charles Triplin was finally resolved. On December 5, 2007 a Cumberland County, NC, jury returned a Not-Guilty verdict. Charles maintained his innocence throughout his four-and-a-half- year ordeal and refused offers to enter a guilty plea that would have allowed him to avoid the risks of a death penalty trial. Three weeks prior to trial, Charles’ case was declared non-capital, but he still faced a mandatory life without parole sentence if he had been found guilty.

Justice for Floyd Brown

In the Case of Floyd Brown, a well documented mentally retarded individual, we are reminded of what happens when flaws in the system are not addressed. Floyd Brown was held for 14 years at Dorthea Dix Hospital on murder and robbery charges, while waiting in limbo for the courts to decide if he was even competent enough to stand trial. Through exhaustive investigation, the defense team Mike Klinkosum, Mark Rabil and FTI alum Kelley DeAngelus, discovered lost evidence and the fabricated confessions of law enforcement officers who subsequently served time for corruption. Nothing was ever found to connect Brown to the murder he was charged with committing. Due to his team’s efforts, Mr. Brown was finally freed from what would have been a never-ending vicious cycle of injustice.