Man declared innocent after almost 50 years in prison for murder
WeirdNews
Judge found Simmons was wrongfully convicted of killing in 1974
(Web Desk) A 71-year-old Oklahoma man was released from prison earlier this year after prosecutors agreed that the evidence in his case was not properly handled.
Glynn Simmons was exonerated on a murder charge after spending nearly 50 years in prison — the longest-serving inmate to be declared innocent of a crime, per data from The National Registry of Exonerations.
“This court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the offense for which Simmons was convicted, sentenced and imprisoned... was not committed by Mr. Simmons,” Oklahoma County District Judge Amy Palumbo told the court.
Simmons was charged with the murder of Carolyn Sue Rogers in 1974 and was sentenced to the death penalty in 1975. However, he maintained his innocence for the entire time he was incarcerated — 48 years, one month and 18 days.
Simmons never wavered from his alibi, saying he was in Louisiana at the time of the murder which happened inside an Edmond, Oklahoma liquor store.
“It's a lesson in resilience and tenacity,” Simmons said during a brief news conference following the ruling. “Don't let nobody tell you that it (exoneration) can't happen because it really can.”
Simmons and his co-defendant Don Roberts were both convicted in 1975 and initially sentenced to death, but their sentences were reduced to life in prison in 1977 after U.S. Supreme Court rulings related to capital punishment.
