Simon Cowell Posts Moving ‘America’s Got Talent’ Audition Of Singer Wrongly Jailed For Decades

May 25, 2020 by apost team

Archie Williams, a contestant on the 15th season America's Got Talent, captivated the judges and the audience with his live audition after shocking everyone with his tragic background story of being wrongfully imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. Simon Cowell even took to Twitter this month to share the audition video.

When Archie Williams walked up on stage to audition for America's Got Talent judge Simon Cowell and his colleagues, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, and Sofía Vergara had no idea that they were in for an audition they’d never forget as Archie revealed:

“I was just incarcerated for 37 years for somebody else’s crime. DNA freed me”

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In a backstage interview, Archie went into more detail and explained how he had come to be in that position: 

“On the morning of December 9 of 1982 a 30-year-old white woman was raped and stabbed in her home. I was arrested on January 4. I couldn’t believe it was really happening. I knew I was innocent,” Archie stated. “I didn’t commit a crime. But being a poor black kid, I didn’t have the economic ability to fight the state of Louisiana.”

Archie also described how there had never actually been any evidence that truly connected him to the crime:

 “At the trial, none of the fingerprints at the scene matched mine. Three people testified that I was at home, but they wanted somebody to pay. I was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole or probation,” Archie recalled. “Days turned into weeks and into months and into decades. It was like a nightmare.”

Luckily, The Innocent Project eventually decided to take on Archie’s case. They looked into the DNA and fingerprints that had been found at the crime scene and were able to prove that a serial rapist had been the one who committed the crime. That meant Archie was finally able to be released!

When Terry Crews, the host of America’s Got Talent, asked Archie how he had managed to stay sane throughout his time in prison, the contestant explained:

“Freedom is of the mind. I went to prison, but I never let my mind go to prison. When you are faced with dark times, what I would do is pray and sing. This is how I got peace.”

Judge Simon Cowell was overwhelmed and deeply moved when he heard what Archie had been through. He later even shared the video of Archie’s breathtaking audition on his Twitter saying: 

 “This is Archie Williams. I will never forget this audition for the rest of my life. And I’ll never listen to this song in the same way ever again.”

Were you shocked to hear about Archie’s tragic story? Let us know how his audition made you feel and be sure to pass this article along to others!