A 71-year-old man was found not guilty this Tuesday in the US state of Oklahoma. after spending almost 50 years in prison for a murder he did not commit.
Glynn Simmons became the person who spent the longest time in prison in US history before being exonerated, according to the US National Registry of Exonerations.
Along with another man, Don Roberts, this African American was sentenced to death in 1975 For him murder of a liquor store employeeduring a robbery in Edmond, a city in the state of Oklahoma.
The sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. The conviction of the two men was decided based on the simple testimony of a customer of the store, a teenager, who was shot in the head during the robbery, but survived.
The teenager stated having recognized them during the identification sessionbut a later investigation questioned his claims.
During the trial, both men claimed they were not in Oklahoma on the day of the robbery. Glynn Simmons was released in July, after 48 years, one month and 18 days in prison, and was found not guilty this Tuesday by an Oklahoma court that overturned his conviction.
“This is a day we have been waiting for for a long, long time. We can say that today justice has finally been done,” Simmons said, speaking to reporters.
The other man convicted in this case, Don Roberts, was released from prison in 2008, according to the U.S. National Registry of Exonerations.
Glynn Simmons is now eligible to receive compensation.
“What was done was done, but there must be accountability,” he stressed.
Source: TSF
