Notre Dame Law School’s Exoneration Justice Clinic client regains freedom after 27 years

The original article was written by Arienne Calingo for the Notre Dame Law School website.

Reginald “Reggie” Dillard, a client of the Notre Dame Law School Exoneration Justice Clinic (EJC), was exonerated on Monday, February 23, after spending 27 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Dillard was convicted of murder in 2000 and was sentenced to 65 years in prison. Marshall County Elected Prosecutor Nelson Chipman agreed to vacate Dillard’s conviction on Thursday, February 19. Judge Christopher Spataro signed the order dismissing the criminal charges, officially exonerating Dillard.

In a message to the entire EJC team on the morning of Dillard’s release, Professor Jimmy Gurulé, founder and director of the EJC, wrote: “As you know, last Thursday, following a two-day evidentiary hearing, Judge Christopher Spataro vacated Reginald Dillard’s 2000 wrongful murder conviction. This morning Judge Spataro dismissed the criminal charges against Reggie with prejudice and ordered his immediate release from custody. As a result of the hard work of many of our clinic students, past and present, Reggie has been officially exonerated. Later today, Reggie will regain his freedom and be reunited with his family and friends.”

Dillard’s case has been one of the clinic’s longest-running matters. Even before the clinic was formally established, Slosar and some volunteer students had been working on Dillard’s case as early as 2018.

Several EJC students played crucial roles in the evidentiary hearing. Third-year law student Andrew Zimlich presented a key piece of evidence that contributed to Dillard’s exoneration.

“It has been an honor and a blessing to play a part in Reggie’s exoneration effort,” said Zimlich. “This victory speaks to the hard work of the many students and attorneys who poured their energy and passion into doing justice no matter the obstacles. I will forever be inspired by the incredible grace and resilience that Reggie showed in the face of unimaginable hardship, and I have no doubt that he will go on to inspire countless others.”

Third-year law student Albert Kwon also presented evidence in the case.

“After almost three decades, Reginald Dillard finally walks free,” said Kwon. “It was my honor to contribute to that effort, and his exoneration is a testament to the power of hard work and hope. This result is also a reminder of why the EJC continues to inspire: its mission to correct injustice even in the most difficult, long-fought cases.”

Gurulé praised the clinic team that investigated and litigated the case, including Murphy, staff attorney Lenora Popken, legal staff assistant Anne Peterson, and adjunct professor Slosar. He also acknowledged that, along with Zimlich and Kwon, several other clinic students contributed to Dillard’s exoneration.

Dillard’s exoneration is the EJC’s fourth exoneration, after the exonerations of Kara Beaty in April 2025, Anthony Bedolla in August 2024, and Andy Royer in July 2021. Notably, it is the EJC’s third straight exoneration that was achieved with the agreement of the prosecutors on the case. Since its founding, the EJC has remained committed to criminal justice reform, litigating wrongful conviction cases, and educating the public about miscarriages of justice.

The EJC represents Notre Dame’s mission in action. It gives students like Zimlich and Kwon real-world lawyering experience while literally changing lives, like Dillard’s, for good. This is just one way the Law School educates A Different Kind of Lawyer. Order of St. Thomas More members help empower students to get involved in transformative work with the EJC and all our clinics, serve the community, and bring about a more just world.

Check out the original article by Arienne Calingo for more details on the EJC and Dillard’s case.