Three men falsely convicted of murder in the US state of Maryland have been set free after 36 years in prison.
Alfred Chestnut, Andrew Stewart and Ransom Watkins had been sentenced to life in 1984 for killing a 14-year-old boy a year earlier.
Alfred Chestnut, Andrew Stewart and Ransom Watkins had been sentenced to life in 1984 for killing a 14-year-old boy a year earlier.
[...]
The case was reopened this year after Mr Chestnut sent a letter to Baltimore's Conviction Integrity Unit.
He included evidence he had uncovered last year.
Mr Chestnut, Mr Stewart and Mr Watkins were arrested as teenagers in November 1983 following the death of DeWitt Duckett, who was shot in the neck on his way to class at a Baltimore junior high school and had his Georgetown University jacket stolen.
DeWitt's death received widespread press coverage. It was the first fatal shooting of a student in a Baltimore public school.
"These three men were convicted, as children, because of police and prosecutorial misconduct," Baltimore state attorney Marilyn Mosby said after the men were released.
In a statement, her office said "detectives targeted the three men, all 16-year-old black boys, using coaching and coercion of other teenage witnesses to make their case".
Hey there! Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.
When you create an account, we remember exactly what you've read, so you always come right back where you left off. You also get notifications, here and via email, whenever new posts are made. And you can like posts and share your thoughts. Sign Up
Hide
Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks