A court recently cleared a 71-year-old Oklahoma man who had been imprisoned for over 50 years for a murder he did not commit.
Glynn Simmons, a former death row convict, was first freed in July following an agreement by the prosecution that important evidence in his case had not been provided to his defense attorneys.
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It has finally been decided that he is innocent.
In his decision, Oklahoma County District Judge Amy Palumbo wrote, “This court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the offense for which Mr. Simmons was convicted, sentenced and imprisoned… was not committed by Mr. Simmons.”
After being found guilty of killing Carolyn Sue Rogers in 1974, Simmons spent 48 years, 1 month, and 18 days behind bars.
Based on information gathered by the National Registry of Exonerations, he is the longest-serving prisoner to be freed in US history.
Outside the courthouse, Simmons triumphantly raised his arms following the judge’s decision.
He told reporters that he felt fulfilled after attempting to prove his innocence for decades while inside.
“It’s a lesson in resilience and tenacity,” Simmons noted. “Don’t let nobody tell you that it (exoneration) can’t happen, because it really can.”
Simmons insisted during his trial and incarceration that he was in Louisiana when Rogers was fatally shot at an Edmond liquor shop.
In 1975, Simmons and co-defendant Don Roberts were found guilty of the murder and given the death penalty.
In 1977, the death sentences were subsequently commuted to life in prison in response to decisions about the death penalty made by the Supreme Court.
In 2008, Roberts was granted parole, while Simmons stayed behind bars.
Following District Attorney Vicki Behenna’s revelation in July that prosecutors had concealed information from the defense, including a police report with eyewitness accounts that may have pointed to more suspects, Palumbo granted a new trial for Simmons.
Behenna said in September that Simmons would not face a retrial and that there was no tangible evidence linking him to the scene.
As of right now, defense lawyer Joe Norwood recently noted, that Simmons is dependent on donations made through a GoFundMe page.
According to Norwood, his client may sue federally against Oklahoma City and the officials responsible for his arrest and conviction, as well as get up to $175,000 in compensation from the state for his unjust conviction.
The attorney, however, believes that money is probably years away.
“Getting him compensation, and getting compensation is not for sure, is in the future and he has to sustain himself now,” Norwood remarked.
