A judge on Wednesday exonerated a 71-year-old Oklahoma man who spent nearly 50 years in prison for a murder he did not commit.
Former death row inmate Glynn Simmons was originally released in July after prosecutors agreed that key evidence in his case was not turned over to his defense attorneys.
Finally, he has been officially declared innocent.
“This court finds, by clear and convincing evidence, that the crime for which Mr. Simmons was convicted, sentenced, and imprisoned… was not committed by Mr. Simmons,” the Oklahoma County District Judge wrote in her ruling. Amy Palumbo.
Simmons was in prison for 48 years, one month and 18 days after his conviction for the 1974 murder of Carolyn Sue Rogers.
He is the longest-serving prisoner to be exonerated in U.S. history, according to data compiled by the National Registry of Exonerations.
Glynn Simmons raises his arms in front of the Oklahoma County Courthouse after being wrongfully imprisoned for more than 48 years. AP
After the judge’s ruling, Simmons raised his arms in victory outside the courtroom.
He told reporters he felt vindicated after persevering for decades behind bars to prove his innocence.
“It’s a lesson in resilience and tenacity,” Simmons said. “Don’t let anyone tell you that (the exoneration) can’t happen, because it really can.”
Prosecutors in Simmons’ murder trial were found to have withheld evidence from the defense. AP
Throughout his trial and incarceration, Simmons maintained that he was in Louisiana when Rogers was shot and killed at a liquor store in Edmond.
Simmons and co-defendant Don Roberts were convicted of the murder in 1975 and sentenced to death.
Death sentences were later reduced to life imprisonment in 1977 following Supreme Court rulings on capital punishment.
Glynn Simmons was released in July. AP
Roberts was paroled in 2008, but Simmons remained locked up.
In July, Palumbo ordered a new trial for Simmons after District Attorney Vicki Behenna revealed that prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense in the case, including a police report in which eyewitnesses may have identified other suspects.
Behenna said in September that there was no physical evidence connecting Simmons to the scene and that he would not be tried again.
While he is finally free, Simmons lives off donations from a GoFundMe campaign, defense attorney Joe Norwood said Wednesday.
Simmons was convicted of murdering a woman in a liquor store in 1974. AP
Norwood said his client is eligible to receive up to $175,000 in compensation from the state for a wrongful conviction and can file a federal lawsuit against Oklahoma City and authorities involved in his arrest and conviction.
However, getting that money is likely years away, according to the lawyer.
“Getting him compensation, and getting it is not certain, it is a thing of the future and it has to be maintained now,” Norwood said.
With pole cables
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn