American Justice; Innocence after 48 years of imprisonment!

Glen Simmons, 71 years old, was found not guilty of murder on Tuesday after serving about 50 years in prison, according to Fars News Agency.

Amy Palumbo, the judge of the District of Oklahoma (the capital of the US state of Oklahoma) announced in a ruling that this court found, based on clear and convincing evidence, that the crime that Simmons was convicted of And imprisoned for it, it was not done by him.

Simmons served 48 years, one month and 18 days since his conviction, making him the longest exonerated American prisoner. This verdict came while Simmons maintained his innocence and said that he was in Louisiana at the time of the murder of Carolyn U. Rogers in 1974.

He and Don Roberts, accused of complicity in this murder, were both convicted in 1975 and initially sentenced to death. Their sentence was changed to life imprisonment in 1977 after the US Supreme Court rulings regarding the death penalty. Roberts was released on parole in 2008.

Judge Palumbo ordered a new trial for Simmons in July; This order came after the district attorney said that the prosecutors failed to provide evidence in the case, including a police report that indicated that an eyewitness may have identified other suspects in the case.

Simmons’ attorney, Joe Norwood, said the ruling makes his client eligible for $175,000 in restitution from the state of Oklahoma for the wrongful conviction, and also paves the way for a federal lawsuit. against Oklahoma City and law enforcement involved in Simmons’ arrest and conviction.

However, he said that receiving compensation is not certain and it will probably take years. Simmons’ lawyer added that he is currently living off financial assistance while undergoing treatment for cancer, which was diagnosed after his release.

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