An Oklahoma judge has officially declared Glynn Simmons innocent after he spent 48 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. Glynn Simmons, 70, was released in July after discovering that crucial evidence in his case had not been disclosed to his defense lawyers. This marks the longest-known wrongful sentence in the United States.
On Monday, the county district attorney stated there wasn’t enough evidence to justify a new trial. In her ruling on Tuesday, Judge Amy Palumbo declared Mr. Simmons innocent, stating, “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.”
Mr. Simmons was convicted in 1975, at the age of 22, along with co-defendant Don Roberts, for the 1974 murder of Carolyn Sue Rogers during a liquor store robbery in an Oklahoma City suburb. Initially sentenced to death, their punishments were later reduced to life in prison due to U.S. Supreme Court rulings on the death penalty.
Despite maintaining his innocence and asserting that he was in his home state of Louisiana at the time of the murder, Mr. Simmons spent over four decades behind bars. The district court vacated his sentence in July after finding that prosecutors had failed to disclose all evidence to defense lawyers, including a witness identifying other suspects.
Mr. Simmons, who is battling liver cancer, expressed his feelings after the decision, saying, “What’s been done can’t be undone, but there can be accountability.” He smiled as the court declared his innocence and, dressed in a grey hooded sweater and fedora, emphasized the resilience and tenacity required to endure such a prolonged injustice.
Wrongfully convicted individuals in Oklahoma are eligible for compensation of up to $175,000 (£138,000). Glynn Simmons’ GoFundMe has raised thousands of dollars to support his living costs and chemotherapy as he battles liver cancer.
