Washington DC –
Judge in Oklahoma, United States of America (USA), decided that a man named Glynn Simmons (70) was not guilty of a murder case that had made him spend 48 years in prison. This is the longest sentence for a citizen before being declared innocent.
“This is the day we have been waiting for for a long time. It’s finally happened,” Glynn Simmons told reporters, according to a local news outlet KFOR as reported CNNFriday (22/12/2023).
He said this after a hearing in which an Oklahoma County District Court judge issued an order officially declaring him not guilty. Simmons said he was happy and felt justice had been served.
“We can say justice was finally served today. And I’m happy,” he said.
Simmons is serving a sentence of 48 years, 1 month, and 18 days for an offense he later stated he did not commit. He served the longest prison sentence among exonerated people in the US, according to the National Registry of Exonerations.
The average duration of wrongful incarceration is more than nine years, according to the registry, which tracks and catalogs exonerations since 1989.
“Obviously, we’re very pleased,” said Simmons’ attorney, Joe Norwood.
“He feels vindicated because his name is cleared, that he is innocent and did not do this. I am very happy that all his hard work is paying off,” he continued.
Simmons was released on bail in July 2023, when a judge vacated the 1975 conviction and sentence at the request of the Oklahoma County District Attorney, who said in a press release that his office discovered evidence was withheld from Simmons’ defense attorneys.
In September, District Attorney Vicki Behenna announced she would not seek a retrial, in part due to a lack of physical evidence. Simmons’ more than four-decade ordeal officially ended Tuesday with an amendment to Judge Amy Palumbo’s order declaring Simmons not guilty.
“This court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the offenses for which Mr. Simmons was convicted, sentenced and imprisoned in the case at hand, including the lesser offenses, were not committed by Mr. Simmons,” Judge Palumbo said in the order.
Also watch the video ‘President Joe Biden’s motorcade was hit by a car!’:
What was the case that sent Simmons to prison for 48 years? See on the next page.
(haf/dhn)
2023-12-22 04:10:22
#Man #Guilty #Years #Prison
