Man wrongfully in prison for 41 years on WIZM Tuesday night, before speaking at UW-La Crosse

La Crosse, Wis. — A man who was imprisoned for 41 years for a murder he didn’t commit will share his story Tuesday on La Crosse Talk PM, before speaking at UW-La Crosse.

Gary Tyler, a former prisoner at the Louisiana State Prison in Angola, will be on WIZM 92.3 FM / 1410 AM after 5 p.m., before speaking in the Hesprich Graff Main Hall Auditorium at 7 p.m. at UW-L.

Admission at UW-L is free — face masks are required.

Tyler will also be part of the city of La Crosse’s criminal justice management council meeting Wednesday.

Thursday from 9:50-11:20 a.m. Tyler speak at Western Technical College’s Lunda Center for Criminal Justice students. That night, from 7-8:30 p.m., he’ll speak to Viterbo University’s Fine Arts Center for students and the public.

Tyler was convicted of the Oct. 7, 1974, shooting death of a white 13-year-old boy, as well as wounding another during protests by whites against black students at Destrehan High School in St. Charles Parish.

Tyler was tried as an adult and convicted of first-degree murder at age 17 by an all-white jury and received the mandatory death sentence.

After various appeals, Tyler was released in 2016 after the state arranged a plea deal following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that a person who was a minor at the time of a crime for which they were convicted could not be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.

His presentation at UW-L is sponsored by the following university groups: Black Student Unity; College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities: Sociology and Criminal Justice Department; Division of Diversity and Inclusion; Multicultural Student Organizations Leadership Programs; and the Office of Multicultural Student Services.