In the middle of an empty visitation room at the Mack Alford Correctional Center in Southeast Oklahoma, 36-year-old Channen Smith sat across from me, a prison officer standing nearby, and said something that should shake us all.
“It’s about time. Thank God. Someone can finally look at the case and see it for what it is. Almost there. Not there yet,” Smith told me.
After 15 years in prison for a 2010 north Tulsa murder he says he didn’t commit, Smith is closer than ever to being exonerated. And now, a federal judge agrees the original case against him doesn’t hold up.
Out of all the stories I cover, these are the most crucial to me because the voices of prisoners have no one to share their stories. Smith is only the second prisoner I’ve ever interviewed on site, but he won’t be the last. I’m on a mission to make this my life’s work. Because, as the great Ida B. Wells-Barnett once said, “The way to right wrongs is to shine the light of truth upon them.”
The case: No physical evidence. An alibi. A confession from another man.
Smith was 21 when he was arrested for the 2010 murder of Dominique Jasper in Tulsa. A student at Tulsa Community College, studying aviation, Smith said he was with his girlfriend in Claremore during the fatal shooting — and had no connection to it beyond being present during an earlier, unrelated altercation.
There was no physical evidence tying him to the crime. Still, he was convicted and sentenced to life.
“I always knew I was innocent, even if no one else could see it,” Smith said. “There’s a lot of corruption in DOC, and it’s everyday life. People are corruptible. No matter the position, you’ll see it. I’ve experienced it firsthand,” Smith said.
In 2017, another man confessed to the murder before his death — a confession the courts initially ignored. Channen Smith used the new evidence to make a rare successful plea for habeas corpus, without a lawyer. It means a federal judge must look at his case to determine if he should remain imprisoned or freed.
On April 3, 2025, a federal judge issued a 108-page ruling that effectively unraveled the entire case.
"Based on the foregoing, and having carefully considered all evidence, old and new, the Court is persuaded that, 'in light of the new evidence, no juror, acting reasonably, would have voted to find [Smith] guilty beyond a reasonable doubt," wrote U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Oklahoma Sara Hill.
The state’s case? “Weak,” says the judge.
In her ruling, Judge Hill criticized everything from the state’s unclear theory of the case to the credibility of witnesses — some of whom may have received plea deals to testify against Smith.
She also pointed to key evidence never presented at trial and noted that Smith’s interview with then-police officer Vic Regalado (now the Tulsa County Sheriff) included a denial of guilt that never shifted.
Despite all this, the state is now delaying a final resolution. Rather than respond to the judge’s findings, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond requested 60 more days to investigate Smith’s claims — pushing any decision to mid-summer.
“You’re stealing years of people’s lives — and no one’s held accountable.”
While Smith waits, he’s not just sitting idle. He’s become a legal advocate inside prison — researching his case, mentoring younger men, and even mediating between gang rivals behind bars.
But he’s also calling out the system.
“Officers are paid by taxpayers. I think the problem is they have immunity. They can commit these crimes — which is what they are. You’re stealing years and years of people’s lives — and nothing happens,” Smith told me.
He says since media attention picked up, he’s experienced increased harassment from prison officials. Frequent pat-downs. False accusations. Intimidation. ODOC denies it, but Republican State Rep. Justin Humphrey, a former ODOC employee turned lawmaker, says Smith’s concerns should be taken seriously.
“I know law enforcement does not like when you question these cases,” Humphrey told me. “Is it possible that people are upset? Absolutely.”
Even if he’s released — he plans to go back to prison.
But not as an inmate.
“When I’m released — I’m speaking that from faith — I’ll be back in prison,” Smith said.
“I want to advocate for men who are wrongfully convicted, who are over-sentenced, for those who get their rights violated on the inside, even if they did commit a crime to get here.”
Faith has been his fuel, he told me. Faith in God. Faith in the truth eventually surfacing. And faith that someone, somewhere, would listen.
What’s next
Smith’s legal team (including possible incoming counsel Don Smollen) is preparing for a new round of filings.
July 7: The Attorney General must respond to Smith’s habeas petition.
August 22: Smith’s team will reply.
After that, the judge will make a final ruling — possibly deciding whether Smith walks free.
In the meantime, a growing number of supporters are backing Smith. His petition has nearly 1,500 signatures. Lawmakers are writing letters to the governor. And people across the state are finally starting to ask: How many more Channens are sitting in Oklahoma prisons, waiting to be heard?
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