Sylvan Heights West in Fort Worth in Tarrant County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Tim Cole
— 175 Years of Texas Independence • 1836 - 2011 —
Timothy Brian Cole, born in Brenham in 1960, served in the U.S. Army and attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock. While there, Cole was accused of assaulting a fellow student in September 1986. A jury convicted him and sentenced him to 25 years in prison. Prior to the trial, he was offered probation in exchange for a guilty plea, and while in prison, he was offered parole if he would admit guilt. He refused to take blame for a crime he did not commit. In December 1999, he died in prison at age 39 from complications from asthma.
In 2007, the Innocence Project of Texas received a letter from an inmate confessing to the crime for which Cole was convicted. Physical evidence confirmed that this man was guilty and Cole was innocent. The crime victim joined Cole's family in the effort to clear his name. In district court in Travis County, Cole's advocates successfully used a court of inquiry to obtain a hearing on his innocence. In April 2009, the court declared that Cole was innocent of the crime "to a 100% moral, legal and factual certainty." Following this opinion and order of the court, the other two branches of state government also cleared Cole's name and record. In 2009, the 81st Texas Legislature enacted the Tim Cole Act, to compensate wrongly convicted individuals, and created the Timothy Cole Advisory Panel on wrongful convictions to reverse other wrongful imprisonments and prevent future miscarriages of justice. In March 2010, the Texas Governor's Office issued the first posthumous pardon in state history. This promise of fairness for all Texans is the legacy of a man who once wrote from prison that "I still believe in the justice system, even though it doesn't believe in me."
Erected 2011 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 17068.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Law Enforcement.
Location. 32° 47.606′ N, 97° 18.645′ W. Marker is in Fort Worth, Texas, in Tarrant County. It is in Sylvan Heights West. This post-mounted subject marker stands near the grave of Tim Cole in the Lake Lawn section at Mount Olivet Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fort Worth TX 76111, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Robert David Law (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Mount Olivet Cemetery (approx. 0.2 miles away); Tarrant County War Memorial "Spirit of the American Doughboy" (approx. 0.2 miles away); Amon Carter Riverside High School and Riverside ISD (approx. 1.1 miles away); Daggett's Crossing (approx. 1.2 miles away); Harper's Rest Cemetery (approx. 1.7 miles away); Racial Terror Lynching in America / Racial Terror Lynching of Mr. Fred Rouse (approx. 1.8 miles away); Armour & Company (approx. 2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Worth.
Additional keywords. law, lawyer, jails and prison, wrongful convictions
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 24, 2021, by QuesterMark of Fort Worth, Texas. This page has been viewed 337 times since then and 48 times this year. Last updated on November 24, 2021, by QuesterMark of Fort Worth, Texas. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 24, 2021, by QuesterMark of Fort Worth, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.