LUBBOCK, Texas — September 17, 2026 marks 40 years since Tim Cole, an Army veteran and Texas Tech student, was wrongfully convicted of raping a white female student, Michele Mallin.
It was not until years after Cole’s death that he was found innocent. His family never gave up hope and continued to fight for his innocence. In 2009, a judge in Austin, Charlie Baird, reopened the case, thanks to Jeff Blackburn. Baird reviewed evidence and listened to testimonies in his courtroom.
Previous Coverage:
- Commemorating 40 years since Tim Cole’s wrongful conviction
- Family of Tim Cole, exonerated of rape, speaks with Texas Tech Law students
- The Innocent Man: Timothy Cole | KLBK | KAMC | EverythingLubbock.com
EverythingLubbock reached out to Baird for comments about the case, along with the Cole family’s attorney during the reopening of Cole’s case in 2009, Kevin Glasheen. Here’s what they had to say about the case.
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“Tim was such a forgiving young man. Of course, I never knew him, but I heard an awful lot about him when we had the hearing in court and people just testified about how strong and earnest, he was and how much he loved his mother, and how much he loved his family,” said Baird.
Sadness is what goes through the retired judge’s mind when he thinks about Cole’s case and how it has already been 40 years…