Kenneth Bullock Finally Walks Free After 13 Years of Wrongful Incarceration: New Evidence and Confession by Convicted Gang Member Jamare Rucker Clear Detroit Man of 2011 Carjacking He Always Maintained He Didn’t Commit
Detroit, MI — After more than a decade behind bars for a crime he steadfastly maintained he never committed, 41-year-old Kenneth Bullock is finally free. On May 28, 2025, Bullock walked out of prison a free man, his head held high, his name legally cleared, and his dignity still intact—despite enduring 13 long years of wrongful imprisonment for a carjacking that new evidence and a shocking confession revealed he had absolutely no involvement in.
The road to Bullock’s freedom was a long and painful one, marked by flawed police work, questionable eyewitness identification, systemic injustice, and the unwavering persistence of a man who refused to accept a life sentence for something he didn’t do.
Back in 2011, Bullock was arrested in connection with the carjacking of a 2012 Dodge Charger in Detroit. At the time, the case against him seemed tenuous at best, but authorities moved forward with prosecution. A single eyewitness, a woman who had been traumatized during the incident, selected Bullock from a police lineup—despite the fact that his appearance did not match her original description given to officers on the scene. She initially described the assailant as shorter, with lighter skin, and no facial hair—features that stood in stark contrast to Bullock’s tall build and beard.
Nonetheless, this partial identification became the cornerstone of the prosecution’s case. Combined with circumstantial evidence—namely, that Bullock’s mother was later found in possession of the vehicle, which had passed through several hands—the court rendered a staggering sentence: up to 70 years in prison for carjacking, with an additional 2-year enhancement for firearm possession.
From day one, Bullock maintained his innocence. Throughout the trial, he insisted that he had no involvement in the carjacking, no connection to the original perpetrators, and had never even seen the vehicle in question until long after the crime had occurred. Still, his voice was drowned out by a system that favored expedient closure over factual precision.
Years passed. Appeals were filed and denied. Bullock spent more than a decade inside Michigan’s prison system, where he faced the daily physical and psychological toll of incarceration—all the while continuing to proclaim his innocence.
Then came the breakthrough.
A convicted gang member, Jamare Rucker, who was serving a lengthy sentence for unrelated crimes, stepped forward and admitted responsibility for the 2011 carjacking. In a legally sworn affidavit, Rucker detailed the crime, the sequence of events, and even named his accomplices—all of whom matched the original suspect description far more closely than Bullock ever did.
Rucker made it clear: Kenneth Bullock had no role in the carjacking. He had never been at the scene. He was not part of the planning, execution, or aftermath. According to Rucker, the stolen Dodge Charger had been quickly moved between members of his gang and was eventually abandoned—before it ended up, unknowingly, in the possession of Bullock’s mother.
The confession prompted the Wayne County Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) to reopen the case. A fresh review of the evidence—combined with forensic reexamination, a new assessment of the eyewitness process, and tracking of the vehicle’s movement—clearly indicated that Bullock had been wrongly accused and unjustly convicted.
On May 28, 2025, the Wayne County Circuit Court officially vacated the conviction, acknowledging that Bullock’s imprisonment had been a grave mistake. The judge who presided over the hearing apologized publicly, saying:
“This courtroom owes Mr. Bullock not only the restoration of his name, but an acknowledgment of the irreparable harm this miscarriage of justice has caused. Mr. Bullock, on behalf of the State, I am truly sorry.”
For Bullock, the moment was both liberating and surreal.
“I feel like I’m still dreaming,” he told reporters outside the courtroom, his voice filled with emotion. “For 13 years I’ve said I didn’t do this. Thirteen years I’ve missed birthdays, funerals, time with my daughter… I lost so much. But I never lost hope.”
He embraced his mother tightly—now older and frail—who stood by his side during the entire ordeal. Tears streamed down her face as she repeated over and over: “I got my baby back.”
Civil rights organizations and wrongful conviction advocacy groups across Michigan have applauded the court’s decision, but they also emphasize that Bullock’s case is far from an isolated incident.
“Wrongful convictions are not rare anomalies,” said Alicia Jefferson, legal director at Michigan Innocence Alliance. “They’re the result of systemic issues: unreliable eyewitness testimony, coerced confessions, rushed investigations, and a lack of accountability. Kenneth’s release is a triumph, but it also underscores how far we still have to go.”
According to data from the National Registry of Exonerations, over 3,400 wrongful convictions have been overturned in the United States since 1989. The average time served by exonerees is over 10 years. In many cases, like Bullock’s, eyewitness misidentification is a leading cause—highlighting the urgent need for improved police procedures and judicial oversight.
As Bullock begins the long process of reintegration into society, he says he harbors no bitterness, only purpose.
“I can’t get those years back. But I can speak out, and I can try to make sure this doesn’t happen to someone else,” he said. “There are more men like me still in there, still waiting for someone to believe them. I’m not going to forget about them.”
He plans to work with local advocacy groups to promote reform, speak in schools about the flaws in the justice system, and, most importantly, rebuild a life that was wrongfully interrupted. He also hopes to seek financial compensation from the state, which allows up to $50,000 per year of wrongful imprisonment under Michigan law—though even that amount, many argue, is inadequate to truly compensate for what was lost.
Bullock’s daughter, now 17, stood quietly beside him during his release, clutching a photo of them taken the year before his arrest. “I was just a kid when he left,” she said softly. “Now he’s home. That’s all I ever prayed for.”
As Bullock and his legal team look toward healing and accountability, many in Detroit are calling for wider audits of past convictions—especially those based on single-witness testimony or flawed forensic evidence.
The name Kenneth Bullock will now serve as a powerful symbol in the fight for judicial integrity, transparency, and reform. His case has become a rallying cry for those pushing for legislation that would mandate corroborative evidence in serious criminal charges and reform the lineup identification process in law enforcement.
His release also leaves lingering questions: Why did it take more than a decade for the truth to come out? Could this miscarriage of justice have been prevented? And how many others, still in prison, are waiting for their truth to be heard?
Though these questions remain, one thing is certain—Kenneth Bullock’s freedom is no longer a hope, but a reality.
Public Statement by the Wayne County Conviction Integrity Unit:
“The integrity of our justice system depends on our willingness to admit when it fails. In the case of Kenneth Bullock, the system failed him. Our commitment now is to ensure it never happens again.”
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