Christopher “CJ” Precopia found himself in the heart of a nightmare after being wrongly accused of a savage attack on his ex-girlfriend. However, a casual photo taken by his mother supplied the key proof required to clear the young man’s identity, saving him from a life in prison.

On the morning of September 22, 2017, Christopher “CJ” Precopia arrived for what appeared to be a routine day at a lumber yard in Georgetown, Texas. By the end of the day, his life had taken a drastic change when police officers arrived at his place of employment and detained him.

The 21-year-old guy was facing a 99-year jail term, and he couldn’t understand why.

“I’m just spun around, handcuffs put on,” CJ told ABC News station KVUE”I didn’t know who was accusing me, I didn’t understand why everything was happening, and I felt lost.”.”

And then he discovered that his high school ex, Faith Cox, whom he hadn’t seen in years, was leading the charge.

Erin, the suspect’s mother, stated that CJ dated Faith Cox for approximately six weeks when he was a 17-year-old high school senior and she was a 15-year-old sophomore. She told ABC News that their split was not amicable.

‘Assault with weapons’

According to reports, Cox said that on September 20, 2017, at about 7:20 p.m., her former high school sweetheart stormed into her Temple house and physically attacked her.

According to ABC, the Temple Police Department investigated “a report of an assault with weapons” and was informed by the alleged victim that CJ “came towards her in an aggressive manner and pushed her to the ground, punched her in the face, and cut her with a box cutter.”

The reporting officer also stated that he saw wounds and injuries on Cox’s face and hands, which he believed were caused by a box cutter, the instrument that CJ, according to the adolescent, used to carve an “X” into her chest and slash her face.

“I could hear the slices being made,” Cox said in a handwritten statement to police.

99 issues.

Despite the lack of tangible evidence linking him to the crime, CJ was arrested and charged with first-degree criminal burglary of a residence with intent to conduct more offenses, a crime punishable by up to 99 years in prison if convicted, according to Flores.

“I was constantly fearful of what might happen the next day.” I was going to sleep, praying not to wake up. A tearful CJ expressed her desire to escape the situation to ABC.

With his freedom on the line, the guy was brought to the Williamson County Jail, where his parents posted a $150,000 bail and secured his release. What followed was a never-ending effort to prove his innocence, which would eventually rely on an unexpected piece of evidence.

Game-changing selfie

Despite knowing he was innocent, CJ spent the next nine months terrified of spending his life in prison: “That’s what I was scared of the most, just going to prison for no reason,” the guy stated.

Then a little piece of evidence, a selfie snapped by his mother, changed the course of the case.

The photo, taken on the same day Erin’s son was accused of the brutal attack, shows her, CJ, and a group of friends at the Renaissance Austin Hotel, roughly 70 miles from Cox’s house.

And at 7:02 p.m., only 18 minutes before the claimed attack, she posted the photograph on Facebook, leaving a digital trace with critical timing and geographical data that provided indisputable proof that CJ could not have committed the crime.

“This is fantastic.” Fortunately, Erin’s ex-girlfriend confirmed that the incident occurred on a day when she was certain of CJ’s whereabouts.

Prosecutors received the evidence nine months after CJ’s arrest and later dropped the accusation “in the interest of justice.”

The accuser told the police that she and CJ had a problematic relationship when they dated in high school some years ago, which was why she reported the alleged assault.

Justice served. In December 2018, Cox was charged with filing a fake report.

“The moment I saw her mugshot, I burst into tears. CJ told Fox News, “I was hit by a wave of emotions.” The pure joy of finally bringing her to justice overwhelmed me.

CJ, who joined the navy after graduating from college, says, “It’s a struggle to go about your daily life knowing that anything could happen; just somebody saying anything can ruin your life in an instant.”

This extraordinary narrative demonstrates the power of social media, weaknesses in the judicial system, and how digital footprints may become critical evidence in court disputes.