Draft:Wrongful conviction of Tomasz Komenda

Tomasz Komenda (born 1978, died February 21, 2024) is a Polish man who was wrongfully convicted for the rape and murder of 15 year old Małgorzata Kwiatkowska in 2004 and sentenced to 25 years behind bars. He spent 18 years in prison before being acquitted in 2018.

Death of Małgorzata Kwiatkowska
To celebrate New Year's Eve 1996/1997, Kwiatkowska went to the Alcatraz disco club in Miłoszyce with a friend and drank alcohol. She later left the club with three men who approached her. The next day, her body was found opposite of the disco surrounded by blood. She was only wearing socks. Autopsies declared that she had died from a mixture of hypothermia and bleeding.

Arrest and wrongful conviction of Tomasz Komenda
On November 16, 1999, Komenda was questioned for the first time as a witness of the case.

Komenda confessed at the police station that he was in Miłoszyce, however 12 witnesses provided him with an alibi stating that he was celebrating in a different place. Komenda later stated that he was forced to confess. A neighbor of Komenda's grandmother said that she believed that Komenda was behind the rape and murder. Officers believed her because they knew the neighbor well.

The main piece of evidence that led to Komenda's arrest were DNA tests that showed Komenda's hair on the victim's body. In 2004, the Wrocław City Court sentenced Komenda to 25 years in prison.

In 2018, Komenda was proven innocent and released from prison, having served 18 years in prison.

In popular culture
A movie was made based on his struggle, titled 25 Years of Innocence. Kazik Staszewski wrote a song for this movie.