PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Subramanyam Vedam, who has spent over four decades fighting to clear his name for the murder of his friend Thomas Kinser in 1980, was poised to be released from a Pennsylvania prison this month. In August, a judge annulled Vedam's murder conviction, ruling that crucial ballistics evidence had been suppressed by prosecutors during two trials. A lawyer representing Vedam referred to his situation as a case of "profound injustice."
However, just as Vedam's sister was preparing to bring him home on October 3, he was apprehended by federal authorities due to a 1999 deportation order. Vedam, now 64, came to the United States from India at just nine months old and now faces another significant legal challenge. Under the current administration's focus on mass deportations, Vedam’s attorneys must argue in immigration court that his past drug conviction from the 1980s should be mitigated by the wrongful imprisonment he endured for 43 years.
Benach, Vedam’s immigration lawyer, stated, "He was someone who’s suffered a profound injustice." She highlighted that the many years spent in prison are not a blank slate but rather reflect a remarkable experience. Vedam earned several degrees while incarcerated, mentored numerous fellow inmates, and went nearly half a century with only one minor infraction, which involved rice smuggled from outside.
Vedam remains in an 1,800-bed facility operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in central Pennsylvania, with immigration officials opposing his petition for re-opening his case. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security asserted that "criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S." as they filed a brief against Vedam's release.
Vedam and Kinser were childhood friends from Pennsylvania State University’s faculty families. In December 1980, Vedam asked Kinser for a ride to Lewisburg to buy drugs, after which Kinser disappeared. His van was found outside his apartment, and his body was discovered nine months later in a wooded area. Vedam was detained on drug charges during the investigation and charged with murder. He was convicted in 1983 and sentenced to life without parole; he also pleaded no contest to multiple drug-related charges from that time.
In a retrial in 1988, the prosecution presented misleading arguments, including queries about Vedam’s upbringing, seemingly aimed at distancing him from the all-white jury. The defense consistently questioned the legitimacy of the ballistics evidence used against him, but the jury was never made aware of an FBI report indicating that the bullet’s wound size did not match the gun Vedam allegedly purchased. This report was later uncovered in 2023 by Gopal Balachandran, a law professor who ultimately led the efforts to reverse Vedam's conviction.
Despite the overturned conviction and the district attorney electing not to retry him this month, Vedam's immigration situation remains precarious. Benach, who frequently advocates for clients with prior infractions, called Vedam’s case "truly extraordinary" given the constitutional violations involved in his initial trials. She argues that his nearly half a century of wrongful imprisonment should vastly outweigh the drug conviction from his youth.
Vedam could remain in custody for several additional months while the Board of Immigration Appeals decides whether to revisit his case. ICE officials contend that he has not demonstrated diligence in pursuing his immigration rights over the years. As his sister, Saraswathi Vedam, expressed her dismay at the delays, she noted that her brother is patient, understanding that sometimes things do not make sense and that hope for justice and compassion must prevail.
