Vindication to Victory
Faith, Freedom and a Future Redeemed
Raymond Flanks
Raymond Flanks spent 38 years, 10 months and 25 days incarcerated at the Louisiana State Penitentiary – known before the American Civil War as the Angola Plantations – for a murder he didn’t commit.
Just 20 years old, Raymond was arrested in December 1983 while fleeing an armed robbery at a New Orleans food store, a crime to which he would eventually plead guilty. After his arrest, he was accused of a string of armed robberies, including one that involved the murder of 67-year-old Martin Carnesi in the driveway of his home. The only witness was Carnesi's wife, Faye.
Detectives investigating the killing put Raymond's picture into a photographic lineup and showed it to the distraught widow. She testified at his trial that she recognized him right away from the photo. The lead detective testified that he did nothing to influence the identification.
Raymond was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Decades later, Innocence Project New Orleans ("IPNO") took on the case at the urging of two of Raymond's nieces. IPNO obtained Faye Carnesi's original grand jury testimony and other police reports of her husband's murder and the string of armed robberies.
The facts and evidence in those reports and the testimony in court didn't match.
Carnesi's original description of her husband's assailant — in his 30s, pug nose and with a white blotch on his face — didn't match Raymond's physical description — age 20, different shaped nose and no discoloration on his face. In her grand jury testimony, she had testified that when she told the detective that Raymond was not the same man she saw fleeing the scene, the detective shook his head and insisted it was. She changed her testimony for the trial.
Another key piece of evidence was never shared with Raymond's defense attorney: The state had tested the gun that Raymond had with him when he was arrested and determined it was not the gun used in Carnesi's murder.
The jury never heard any of this evidence.
Attorney and IPNO Legal Director Richard Davis presented this newly-discovered information to the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office. Together, Davis and the prosecution submitted a joint motion to vacate Raymond's conviction.
On November 17, 2022, Raymond’s life conviction and life sentence were vacated. He’d entered prison at age 19 and walked free at age 59. As he describes it, "The world had moved on — four decades — without me."
Raymond's Mug Shot, 1983
Raymond's Release, 2022
Raymond says some of his earliest memories as the youngest of 10 children trace back to 1965 when Hurricane Betsy struck New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico. The rising waters and fierce winds "terrified" him and the family was forced to seek shelter with a cousin living on higher ground.
The family struggled to make ends meet and Raymond got his first job at age 15. He never finished high school but earned his GED as well as associate and bachelor’s degrees from a theological school while in prison.
Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005. Raymond says the storm reminded him of the devastation that Betsy inflicted on his hometown during childhood.
After his release in 2022, Raymond had to figure out how to join the workforce. He had acquired some skills in prison, but as his niece puts it, no one was there saying, "We have a job for you.'" He was living below the poverty line for a few months before taking a part-time job with Thrive New Orleans to clean up city streets after Mardi Gras. A nonprofit organization, Thrive promotes community sustainability, offers workforce training and helps people advance economically.
Soon after, Raymond joined a Thrive workforce development cohort, a paid role that combined the workforce experience, computer training and education he needed to get a job and one day start his own business.
New Orleans is prone to flooding, as evidenced by the impact of Betsy, Katrina and other major storms. Raymond’s new career is helping make the city more climate-resilient, which aligns with his lifelong love of nature. For example, one of his most recent projects has been to construct a vegetable garden populated with water-absorbing plants that help control flooding in an impoverished neighborhood that is also a food desert.
Thanks to Thrive, Raymond has been able to earn certification in green infrastructure, solar panel installation, weatherization and heavy machinery operation. He and his nephew now plan to start their own construction business.
Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, 2005
Raymond at Thrive Nursery
He and childhood friend Cassandra Woods — in his words, his "bright light" — reconnected in 2012 after her husband passed. Over the next 10 years, she was a constant visitor, often bringing her grandchildren with her on the two-and-half-hour trip from New Orleans to the prison.
Raymond credits his faith, his family and his now fiancée Cassandra for helping him make it through his nearly four decades in prison.
Raymond and Cassandra continue to build their lives together and plan to marry soon.
New Birth Missonary Baptist Church
Cassandra Woods, Raymond's fiancée
Denea Dabney, Raymond's niece
Richard Davis, Innocence Project New Orleans
