Article from The Daily Wire by Ashe Schow.
A Philadelphia man is now free from prison after spending 28 years behind bars for a murder prosecutors now say he likely didn’t commit.
Chester Hollman III was sentenced to life in prison for the 1991 killing of University of Pennsylvania student Tae-Jung Ho. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported this week that the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office found that police and prosecutors “had hidden evidence that pointed to more viable suspects.” There was no physical evidence indicating Hollman was involved in the crime, yet the testimony of two witnesses — who later recanted — helped get him convicted.
“It was pretty clear to us,” said Assistant District Attorney Patricia Cummings, “that unfortunately the Police Department and the District Attorney’s Office actually had evidence in their possession back at the time of trial [that], had they disclosed it to the defense that they’re constitutionally and ethically required to do … Mr. Hollman might not have ever even stood trial.”
Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Gwendolyn N. Bright made the recent ruling that freed Hollman, concluding he was “likely innocent” of the crime for which he was serving a life sentence. As the Inquirer reported, this was a “stunning reversal” from her ruling in 2012, in which she said Hollman would not receive a new trial. That ruling came after Deirdre Jones, a key witness for the prosecution, admitted that she lied to jurors in 1993.
Read the entire article at The Daily Wire.
Image Credit: By St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
wpDiscuz
Egregious error!!! Surely there is a more expressive word than this. My god, can anyone think of a worse fate than to be imprisoned for a crime one did not comment, and to be imprisoned for such a long time. It would be the ultimate living hell. Someone must pay for that “egregious” error and those responsible should face prison time for their careless, irresponsible action.
Hello, Prosecuting Attorney. I’m looking at you.
Death penalty for the Judge, Prosecutor, and arresting officer.
“That ruling came after Deirdre Jones, a key witness for the prosecution, admitted that she lied to jurors in 1993.”
And, let us not overlook Ms Jones’s egregious lying to the jurors, an act for which she must pay dearly.
So who will be punished for what really appears to be a criminal act by “law encorcement” or will it be The Statute of Limitations serve to cover their miss deeds and shield the real criminals.
Unless the prosecutor or police officer did something illegal, it was probably a jury that found him guilty. He should and probably will be well compensated. Not worth it but it’s likely the only option.
Greg:
Sounds like, from the above article, that illegalities were committed by the prosecutors and the police. As I mentioned, their prosecution would likely fall to The Statute of Limitations. As for the judge, one does tend to wonder as to who or what winds her up.
Seems that there is a whole lot of detail missing from what is a brief item. That said, the fault, the blame seems to be shared by the police department, the prosecutors office and the judge, who eventually ordered the victims release, the victim being Mr. Hollman. How much money might replace 28 years STOLEN from an INNOCENT INDIVIDUAL strikes one as an interesting question.
$28,000,000.00 tax free.
He should be reimbursed a salary from the prosecutor payroll for those 28 years behind bars.
Ya! They always say they did not do it.
Regarding the various contents, some from yours truly, what was the final outcome, if one has been reached.