In the pleasant sunshine of an October afternoon in 2015, Richard Jones, a 39-year-old man, strolled along the confines of the yard within the Kansas state prison. Richard was incarcerated for a robbery conviction. As he walked, he spotted a modest basketball court with a solitary hoop in the distance. On the blacktop, numerous fellow inmates engaged in exercise, conversation, and socializing. Richard was intimately acquainted with most of them, having spent 16 years behind bars. His friendly and affable nature made him remarkably approachable, enabling him to forge friendships effortlessly, even within the confines of the prison walls.
While Richard continued his stroll toward the basketball court, he spotted one of the individuals on the blacktop breaking away from the group, heading in his direction. Instantly, Richard recognized the approaching figure—it was his dear friend Steve. Just as he was about to offer a friendly wave, a peculiar change in Steve’s demeanor caught his attention. Steve seemed visibly enraged, his fists clenched and his face contorted into a scowl. Richard came to a halt, fixating his gaze on Steve as he slowly drew nearer.
As Steve closed the gap, Richard couldn’t help but notice the unmistakable signs of anger in his friend’s body language. It appeared as though Steve might be approaching with hostile intentions. So, when Steve reached a distance of roughly 10 feet from Richard, he decided to break the silence, concern evident in his voice. “Steve, what’s happening? Why are you so upset?”
Steve had a reputation for being somewhat hot-tempered, a fact that Richard was well aware of. However, Steve’s outbursts usually subsided quickly, so Richard had grown accustomed to such episodes. This particular instance, though, left Richard perplexed, as he couldn’t fathom why Steve was upset with him.
Steve approached Richard directly and remarked, “So, now you decide to talk to me?” Richard, taken aback, tilted his head and responded, “What do you mean?” Steve fixed his gaze on Richard, anticipating an eventual apology or explanation. To his surprise, Richard seemed genuinely bewildered.
Steve elaborated, saying, “This morning, I approached you in the cafeteria line and attempted to start a conversation. Instead, you completely ignored me and walked away, right in front of a large group of people. It was embarrassing and made me look bad.”
Richard expressed confusion, saying, ‘I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I didn’t see you this morning, and I have no idea where this is coming from.’ Steve remained skeptical and responded, ‘Richard, I’m certain it was you. I saw you and talked to you this morning. You did it.’ Richard insisted, ‘Steve, I genuinely don’t know what you’re referring to. I’m sorry.’ Their heated exchange continued, drawing the attention of fellow inmates and guards in the prison. As they noticed others approaching to witness the commotion, and with guards taking notice, Steve abruptly decided, ‘You know what, Richard? Never mind. I might have been mistaken. It’s not a big deal.’ He then turned and headed back to the basketball court.
After Steve’s departure, Richard continued his stroll along the perimeter, but that encounter with Steve had left him feeling quite uneasy. Strangely, it wasn’t the first time such an incident had occurred. It all began about a month ago when an unfamiliar inmate approached Richard with a sense of familiarity, asking, ‘Hey, how’s your grandmother? I heard she fell. Is she okay?’ Initially, Richard was taken aback, wondering about his grandmother’s well-being. But soon, he realized that this inmate had mistaken him for someone else entirely. Initially considering it a peculiar one-time event, Richard soon found himself in similar situations every few days. Either an unfamiliar inmate would approach him in a friendly manner, as if they knew him, even though he had no recollection of them, or someone he did recognize would confront him about strange behaviors he couldn’t recall, akin to the encounter with Steve, who had accused him of ignoring him in the lunch line.
So, following Richard’s encounter with Steve, he began to ponder, “Hold on a moment, is someone playing tricks on me? Has that been the case for the past few weeks?” The following morning during breakfast, Richard opted for a different seat, choosing to sit far in the corner of the cafeteria to observe the people inside. That afternoon, when he was outside, rather than his usual perimeter walk, he positioned himself centrally and continuously surveyed the entire area. Richard wasn’t entirely sure what he was searching for, thinking, “Perhaps I’ll notice something suspicious – someone gazing at me for an extended period, or a stranger conversing with my friends. Something might tip me off to what’s transpired in recent weeks.” Despite his vigilant people-watching, it wasn’t until a week later, following Richard’s conversation with Steve regarding the lunch line incident, that he finally spotted something suspicious.
Richard found himself once again seated in the cafeteria, his attention suddenly drawn to something profoundly peculiar unfolding on the opposite side of the room. His gaze locked onto the anomaly, compelling him to rise abruptly from his seat. His heart quickened its pace, and his breath hastened. Seated beside him, Steve inquired, “Hey, Richard, what’s happening?” Words eluded Richard as he wordlessly extended his arm, gesturing toward the distant scene.
Sixteen years prior, Richard had faced arrest for a Walmart parking lot robbery he had vehemently denied committing. Despite his protestations, multiple witnesses had unequivocally identified him from a lineup, confidently asserting, “That’s the guy.” The victim of the robbery even claimed to have overheard the getaway driver urgently instructing someone named Rick—the alleged assailant—to enter the vehicle for a hasty escape. Notably, “Rick” was a common nickname for Richard. Throughout the ordeal, Richard had adamantly maintained that he had been attending a barbecue in another state during the time of the robbery, rendering his involvement implausible. However, the weight of the evidence proved insurmountable, ultimately leading to his conviction.
Sixteen years ago, Richard couldn’t fathom why so many people had accused him of a crime he didn’t commit. More recently, he was perplexed by his friends, like Steve, accusing him of actions he had no recollection of. However, everything fell into place that night in the jail cafeteria when Richard noticed something across the room. Suddenly, the events of the past 16 years became clear as day: Richard was truly innocent. The robbery at the Walmart parking lot, which he was wrongly associated with, had been committed by his doppelganger—a person who bears an uncanny resemblance but shares no actual relation.
This doppelganger, named Ricky Amos, coincidentally had a similar first name, Ricky, which compounded the confusion. Unbeknownst to both men, Ricky ended up in the same prison as Richard, though their crimes were entirely unrelated. They had never met before, and there was no connection between them beyond their striking physical resemblance.
As Richard gazed across the cafeteria and locked eyes with Ricky, it was like seeing his mirror image, and everything fell into place. All those people who had accused him of strange behavior, including Stephen, had actually been interacting with his doppelganger, Ricky. Sixteen years prior, it was Ricky who had committed the Walmart robbery, and the victim and witnesses had mistakenly identified him as Richard.
After being informed about the situation and examining the two photographs together, the judge immediately recognized the error made by the police. Even the prosecutor who had previously prosecuted Richard in the robbery case advocated for his release. Consequently, in 2017, Richard was exonerated and awarded a one million dollar settlement from the state. On the other hand, Ricky Amos, the doppelganger, was never subjected to trial for the robberies that had occurred 16 years prior. This was due to the fact that, by the time his true identity as the robber was uncovered, the statute of limitations had expired, rendering the case unsuitable for prosecution.