On a fateful morning in October 3, 2025, Subramanyam “Subu” Vedam stepped out of Huntingdon State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania, a prison where he had spent a staggering 43 years of his life. The now 64-year-old man was finally freed after a court determined he had been wrongfully convicted of a murder he didn’t commit. Just the day before, the Centre County district attorney dropped all charges against him, acknowledging serious prosecutorial misconduct.
However, Subu’s journey to freedom took a confusing twist the moment he left the prison gates.
Awaiting him outside were officials from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who had a decades-old deportation order that put him back in custody, now as a federal detainee instead of a state prisoner. This was not the heartfelt reunion his family had envisioned.
In a statement shared on a dedicated website for his advocacy, the family expressed their frustration: “To our disappointment, Subu was transferred to ICE custody and is currently being held at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center.” They explained that the immigration situation was tied to his earlier wrongful conviction, emphasizing the need for the immigration court to reconsider his case, given the recent exoneration. “We are keeping our hopes alive for the day when he can come home with us,” they added.
Subu’s saga began back in 1982 when he was arrested for the murder of Thomas Kinser, a 19-year-old friend, whose life was tragically cut short. Prosecutors based their flimsy case primarily on circumstantial evidence, with no murder weapon ever found. After being sentenced to life in prison, Subu spent decades fighting against a sentence he believed was unjust.
For over 42 years, Subu stood firmly by his innocence, despite multiple rejections of his appeals for retrials. His fortunes shifted in 2022, when the Pennsylvania Innocence Project stepped in and uncovered crucial evidence overlooked by the original prosecution. This included an FBI report and notes implying that the injury to Kinser could not have been inflicted by the alleged weapon, shaking the prosecution’s entire narrative.
In August 2025, thanks to this newfound evidence, a judge ruled that Subu’s due process rights had been violated. One month later, following this ruling, District Attorney Bernie Cantorna announced a dismissal of the charges, shockingly labeling a retrial as impossible and pointless.
Ironically, while this victory marked Subu as the longest-serving exoneree in Pennsylvania, it didn’t guarantee stability. Instead, he was handed a new set of troubling challenges.
The Deportation Nightmare Returns
Subu’s deportation situation stems from a “legacy deportation order” grounded in past legal issues. Not only was it connected to the murder charge, but it also revived a previous drug conviction from when he was a teenager. At just 19 years old, he had pleaded guilty to distribution of LSD while struggling with youth-related mistakes. This unfortunate past held haunting immigration repercussions, which remained dormant while he served his sentence.
Now that he is exonerated, ICE revived the decades-old deportation order with unsettling swiftness.
Statements from ICE reported that actions taken followed procedural rules due to Subu’s background. “Individuals who have used all immigration relief options and bear standing orders of deportation are prioritized,” they clarified, framing Subu as a career criminal despite the fact that a wrongful conviction had set the backdrop for his extensive history.
For Vedam’s family, the unexpected ICE move has sent shockwaves of disbelief and anguish. Spokesperson Mike Truppa lamented, “They’re devastated by the possibility of sending him to a country he’s never known,” highlighting that Subu’s family ties are tightly woven in the U.S. and Canada, not in a distant land he never remembers.
Zoë Miller Vedam, a member of his family, discerned their plight, admitting there is little clarity about what the immigration pathway ahead entails. Nevertheless, hope burns bright amidst their uncertainty. “It’s been such a long road to reach this point for my uncle,” she asserted. “He’s been wrongfully incarcerated for over 44 years, and our family has been his strength throughout this era of injustice.”
Zoë emphasizes her uncle’s kindness and commitment during his incarceration. “He thoughtfully crafted his own narrative of upliftment within those walls. Whether it was teaching others how to get their degrees or fighting to uplift his peers, he used his time productively,” she reflected. Not only did he direct literacy programs, but he also became the first individual in the prison’s history to earn a master’s degree with a commendable 4.0 GPA.
She offered candid thoughts on what deportation would mean. “India is really a foreign land to him – it has little tie to his memory,” she noted. “Every constructive bond he has is rooted here. This expectation of being exiled at 64 would only deepen the trauma of his wrongful incarceration. We’ve fought so hard for his justice and to see him treated justly now.”
Ongoing Legal Fight
Subu’s team is actively pursuing a legal maneuver to reactivate the immigration case while also seeking to halt deportation in the interim. The government has until October 24 to reply.
Through the years, despite the grim realities of his life sentence, Subu crafted a world driven by purpose deep within prison. Everyone acknowledges his character as a model inmate committed to supporting others’ education over his decades of confinement.
“Subu’s true spirit shines through his dedication amidst prolonged suffering for a crime he didn’t commit,” stated his sister, Saraswathi Vedam. “Instead of surrendering to despair, he transformed his wrongful actions into help for others.”
The present crux centers on timing and moral obligations in the legal framework. Subu’s immigration challenges spotlight America grappling with outdated liability connected to his former, overturned guilty verdict. Once he was exonerated, the system construed this as an opportunity to instigate the earlier order.
For supporters, this scenario encapsulates a tremendous injustice wrapped in an oversimplified legal standpoint. The portrayal of Subu as merely a “criminal” neglects the human truths among such a broken system. The approach is to highlight his wrongful conviction, lifelong U.S. residency, and record of personal rehabilitation in confronting the government’s stance, hoping that the wheels of justice will turn once more.
For Zoë, the implication of all these battles extends beyond simple trial efforts; it connects to the core of human rights. “It’s about providing him a life filled with love after a 43-year fight for innocence. Seeking his deportation only culminates into that larger circle of injustice that we’ve worked tirelessly to overcome committed to bringing him home to family.”
