Wrongfully Imprisoned for Murder: Former Football Player Fights Back After 67 Days of Injustice

A former Newberry College football player is fighting back after enduring more than two months of wrongful imprisonment for a murder he did not commit—an ordeal that has left him seeking justice and accountability for the shocking failures of law enforcement.

Ty’Ran Dixon, once a promising 300-pound defensive lineman, has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Barnwell County deputies, Sheriff Steven Griffith, and other law enforcement officials, accusing them of catastrophic errors that led to his wrongful arrest and over two months of incarceration. Dixon’s attorneys argue that the investigation was riddled with glaring mistakes, and their lawsuit highlights the critical missteps that resulted in his unjust detention.

Dixon’s harrowing experience began in August 2024 when he was arrested for a murder that occurred nearly a year earlier in Barnwell County. Despite there being no evidence to link him to the crime, he was locked up for 67 days, his name tarnished and his life turned upside down.

“I’m praying like, ‘God, just get me out of these chains,’” Dixon said

This is the second lawsuit Dixon has filed against the Barnwell County Sheriff’s Office, and it reveals even more unsettling details about the case. Newly uncovered information suggests that Dixon’s wrongful arrest was not an unfortunate mistake, but rather a catastrophic miscarriage of justice. His attorneys claim that vital evidence—such as the correct identification of the actual murderer—was ignored, and instead, Dixon was falsely implicated.

Court documents show that just 12 hours after the murder of Jasmine Roach in October 2023, Sheriff Griffith received a tip from a reliable source. This tip not only provided the name of the true suspect but also offered the suspect’s correct spelling and social media accounts. Despite this crucial lead, Dixon was arrested without any evidence connecting him to the crime.

“They didn’t even have any evidence of me doing anything, and I still got locked up,” Dixon said, still struggling to comprehend the injustice he endured.

The federal lawsuit Dixon has filed paints a damning picture of how law enforcement mishandled the case. Dixon’s legal team believes that these “incredible” failures by the Barnwell County Sheriff’s Office resulted in a shocking miscarriage of justice—an innocent man imprisoned for a crime he did not commit while the real culprit remained free.

Dixon’s case is a stark reminder of the dangers of rushed investigations and the devastating consequences of wrongful arrests. As Dixon seeks justice for the harm done to him, his fight highlights the pressing need for accountability in law enforcement and the urgent need to prevent such gross errors from ever happening again.