NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A man, who spent nearly seven years in prison for raping a child, is now asking Gov. Bill Lee to exonerate him to clear his name.
But before the case could be sent to the governor's office, William Arnold had to go before the Tennessee Board of Parole and face his accuser once again at a recent hearing.
Because of the sensitive nature of the allegations in this case, we are choosing not to identify the accuser.
The meeting room in downtown Nashville was packed with what was described as an unusually large crowd as the Tennessee Board of Parole considered whether or not to recommend that Gov. Lee exonerate William Arnold.
Arnold, now 50, was accused in 2011 by a young man he'd been mentoring through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, of sexual battery and rape. Arnold was arrested, convicted and sent to prison though he continued to maintain his innocence.
Then in 2020, the Tennessee Court of Appeals overturned his conviction, citing in a lengthy ruling, misconduct by the prosecutors.
The Davidson County District Attorney's Conviction Review Team then told a judge it would not retry the case because they "no longer had confidence in Arnold's conviction and his guilt."
Now after serving nearly seven years of a 25-year sentence, Arnold wants to start his life again with a clean slate.
"I stand here today telling you that I did not do this, nothing ever happened, and I plead that this board make the right decision and exonerate me," he told the Board.
Arnold had many supporters there with him, including a longtime friend, another young man he'd once mentored, and his former boss at the Tennessee Board of Regents.
Arnold's attorney explained to the board that this was actually a case of two men named William: Arnold and a teenager also named William, who was in a sexual relationship with the accuser at about the same time.
"Yet this person (William Arnold) goes to prison while the other William goes on with life," attorney John Perry said.
On the other side of the room, sat Arnold's accuser and his mother, their team of attorneys, as well as quite a few family members and friends.
"My son was raped by William Arnold. Police believed him. The district attorneys believed him. And a jury of 12 people believed him. And I believe him, " the accuser's mother told the board.
The accuser's mother fought back tears as she spoke and was followed by several relatives as well as the lawyers who are representing the accuser and his mother in a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Arnold and the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization.
Then, Arnold's accuser, who is now a 24-year-old man, stood up, read a prepared statement, and closed with an impassioned plea.
"I just honestly want this whole thing to be over. He (Arnold) doesn’t deserve to be exonerated. It is not right for me. It’s just not fair. It’s not fair to me. It’s not fair to anyone for him to walk away free," the accuser stated.
The board listened for nearly three hours and then, the board members each gave their opinions.
"I recommend Gov. Lee based on the preponderance of evidence exonerate Mr. Arnold," said Tim Gobble.
He was the only one who voted to exonerate Arnold.
Zane Duncan then shared his thoughts and other members said they agreed with him.
"I recognize that your (Arnold's) conviction has been overturned by the courts, but in light of the evidence, and the testimony that we have heard, I do not feel that we have heard enough to definitively recommend that the governor grant exoneration in this matter," Duncan told Arnold.
The accuser's family celebrated outside afterward.
His mother told NewsChannel 5 Investigates, "Girl, I can’t even explain. Words, don’t even explain. Because guilty is guilty. Wrong is wrong."
Meanwhile, Arnold tried to look on the bright side.
"At the end of the day, I’m not going back to prison. I’m not about to go to the hole. I’m not about to get into a fight or get jumped by gang members so the worst of it is behind me. I just want my life back," Arnold told NewsChannel 5 Investigates.
Despite the Board's vote, Arnold's case is still being forwarded to the governor who is not bound by the Board's decision. The governor could still decide to grant exoneration. If that does not happen, the board told Arnold that if he discovers new evidence in the case, he's welcome to come back and reapply.
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