Exonerated man explains what it’s like to be wrongly labeled a “sex offender”
For more than 20 years, Troy Mansfield was branded a “registered sex offender,” a shameful asterisk by his name that followed him everywhere.
The father of two sons struggled to support his family from a cleaning business, purposely in his wife’s name, Amy Mansfield.
“We lived between $16,000 and $19,000 a year, for a family of four – so very tight and very hard – because I’m trying to make a living but everywhere we go we get the door slammed on it because of this,” Troy Mansfield said.
One of his worst days came when he was kicked out of his church. “They came in that Sunday they said, ‘We want y’all to get out. You haven’t done anything wrong, we don’t have a problem with you but public opinion is killing us in this church and you’ve got to leave,'” he said.
Years later, in his 21st year as a registered sex offender, current prosecutors agreed Troy Mansfield was a victim of a grave injustice. In January 2016, a judge overturned Troy Mansfield’s conviction, ruling prosecutors violated his Constitutional rights by not disclosing favorable evidence.
“Amy [Troy Mansfield’s wife] and I just wept like babies that day thinking, ‘Is this the beginning of the end of this nightmare that we’ve been through?'” Troy Mansfield said.
Today, Troy Mansfield is no longer a convicted felon – no longer on a list with rapists or child molesters.
Troy Mansfield now has a lawsuit against Williamson County, trying to right a wrong for two lost decades. “There is no amount of money that anybody could ever pay me to give me back the 23 years that were stolen and the embarrassment that my wife and children had to go through,” he said.
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I know that feeling all too well.
I can only hope and pray our day comes at some point, but I doubt it.
Still, I’ll be happy if he gets off the registry like he’s supposed to next year.
It truly sucks when someone can make up lies, and attempt to ruin your life
Money will not bring back those years of pure anguish and despair but money talks the most in this land of hypocrites so I will be hoping beyond hope they get enough money they never have to work or worry about money issues ever again. THAT to me is also the LEAST they can give this man and his family…….
“[P]rosecutors violated his Constitutional rights by not disclosing favorable evidence.” Now there is a suprise (sarscsm). I’m glad he won his case, which proves this does in fact happen…far too often. I’ve been fighting my case on similar grounds
no amount of money can make up for it and no amount of pleading can stop it..the internet is forever and so are the evils of the magazines and publications that feed off of it. sadly your name will always be on a list with rapist and molesters somewhere…the evil that created lists feeds off of the pain and suffering it creates and has an insatiable appetite..only way it will end is by death or by force.
“No longer on a list with rapists or child molesters.” What a nice way to put it.
No amount of money can make up for it but it will punish those who did this great injustice and didn’t give a damn about facts or the truth. I’ll pray for him and his family, that they have a happy and prosperous life from now on.