Subramanyam “Subu” Vedam, a man of Indian heritage who endured nearly 43 years of wrongful imprisonment in the U.S. before his murder conviction was overturned, has received a temporary reprieve from deportation. Two U.S. courts have intervened, halting his removal proceedings. Vedam, 64, who legally came to America as a baby, was being held at a detention facility in Alexandria, Louisiana.
Last week, a pivotal moment arrived when an immigration judge placed a stay on his deportation. This decision is contingent upon the Board of Immigration Appeals’ review of his case, a process that may take several months. On the same day, a district court in Pennsylvania also issued an order preventing his deportation, offering further legal protection. This dual legal action provides a crucial window for Vedam to address his immigration status.
Vedam’s ordeal began in 1982. He was arrested and subsequently convicted in 1983 for the 1980 murder of his friend, Thomas Kinser. The victim’s body was found months later, and Vedam, the last known person with Kinser, became the focus of the investigation. At the time, Vedam was also briefly detained on drug charges, a conviction that now forms the basis of the deportation efforts.
His conviction was based on circumstantial evidence, with no eyewitnesses or clear motive presented. Throughout his decades behind bars, Vedam dedicated himself to self-improvement, obtaining three academic degrees and assisting other inmates. His family’s persistent efforts to clear his name spanned many years, with his parents passing away without seeing him freed.
In August, a breakthrough occurred when a Pennsylvania court overturned his murder conviction, thanks to the discovery of suppressed ballistic evidence previously withheld by prosecutors. He walked free on October 3, only to be taken into custody by ICE. The agency is pursuing deportation based on his old drug conviction, arguing that the murder conviction’s overturn does not negate it. Vedam’s family contends that his extensive wrongful imprisonment should outweigh this minor offense, labeling his current detention as profoundly unjust.