ATLANTA — A veteran and PhD student put behind bars for a violent crime he didn't commit is asking for the man who did it to turn himself in.
Ladavious McNair was trapped in the system. Last Friday, November 1, a judge ruled he was jailed for a crime he didn't commit.
"This time last week I was uncertain. I didn't know what would happen next," McNair said. "Would I not be heard again? Would things get worse for me? I go in Friday walking in chains: ankles shackled, body and torso shackled. I will never forget hearing the chains."
But that would be the 32-year-old's last day in court. The same day in 2023, that changed his life.
"I remember it was a normal day, honestly. I was in class. I remember the class actually, quantitative analysis," McNair said.
The graduate student was in class at Clark Atlanta University when a man with the same name shot someone in a road rage incident. Since that day, he'd have warrants out for his arrest without knowing it. Police stopped him this October.
"I am headed to my fraternity's house. I was early, I remember! I was headed to get some water, and all of a sudden, I saw blue lights. I'm surrounded by over 10 to 15 cop cars. They're all jumping out with their weapons, telling me to get the 'F' out of the car," McNair said.
Police mistook his identity and put him in jail. Despite his lawyer having evidence McNair was in class at the time and the victim telling Attorney Marsha Minott that McNair wasn't the man who shot him, the detective was convinced they had the right guy in custody.
"The whole time I didn't have a voice because you can't talk to defend yourself. 30 days felt like a year. The experiences I had in there, I did not know those are the experiences of people in those positions. I don't wish that on my worst enemy," McNair said.
He said it was traumatizing and had doubts he would be let out. After a hard fight, he's free and has been home for a week.
"I walked out, and I smelled that fresh air and saw my beautiful fiancé, my frat brothers and family. That's when I finally felt free," McNair said.
While he doesn't fault the man with his name, he does want him to do the right thing and turn himself in, saying he likely needs help.
"I don't blame him, it's the lack of effectiveness to find the true person that did this, that's what I do fault," McNair said.
Despite almost losing it all, Ladavious is still a graduate student at Clark Atlanta and will graduate in May. He's now invested in trying to help inmates in the future, especially those who might be in the same position he was.
His lawyer's office has taken dozens of calls since his release from people with similar stories.