Jamal Trulove, a California man wrongfully convicted of murder, is speaking out against Vice President Kamala Harris, recalling a haunting moment during his trial when he says she laughed in his face after securing his conviction. Harris, who served as San Francisco’s prosecutor at the time, played a key role in putting Trulove behind bars for a crime he did not commit. Trulove’s conviction was later overturned, but only after he spent six years in prison.
During an interview on The Art of Dialogue, Trulove described how Harris’ reaction to the guilty verdict felt like a personal taunt. “We locked eyes this one time, and she laughed,” Trulove said. “She literally just, like, kind of busted out laughing. Almost as if she was pointing like, ‘ha-ha.’” Though no pointing occurred, Trulove says the laugh still haunts him, reminding him of the injustice he suffered.
Trulove was sentenced to 50 years in prison for the 2007 murder of his friend Seu Kuka, a crime he was framed for by corrupt police officers. After his exoneration in 2015, Trulove filed a civil suit against the city of San Francisco and was awarded $13.1 million in compensation. His case was marked by evidence fabrication and witness coercion, leading to a civil jury finding that two homicide detectives violated his civil rights.
Harris has faced ongoing criticism for her record as a prosecutor, particularly her efforts to uphold convictions even when evidence of misconduct emerged. Critics like Loyola Law School’s Lara Bazelon have called out Harris for fighting to maintain wrongful convictions secured through tampered evidence and suppressed information. Trulove, now an advocate for criminal justice reform, says he will be supporting President Donald Trump in the upcoming election.
