Man Kisses Ground after He and His Uncle Spent 42 Years in Prison for Murder They Didn't Commit
Uncle and nephew Clifford Williams and Hubert 'Nathan' Myers were released from a Florida prison after being incarcerated for 42 years for a crime they didn't commit.
Two men were finally released on March 28, 2019, and took their first steps in freedom.
Clifford Williams, 76, and Hubert 'Nathan' Myers, 61, are the first convicted felons released in Jackson, Florida since the state attorney's office started reviewing claims of wrongful conviction
We are so thrilled to see justice in action today. This exoneration was initiated by the State Attorney of the Fourth Judicial Circuit, Melissa Nelson and her Conviction Integrity Review Unit.
— Innocence Project of FL (@FLA_Innocence) March 28, 2019
These men have waited nearly 43 years to see this day. pic.twitter.com/DgmWdtajHy
CONVICTED FOR MURDER AND ATTEMPTED MURDER
On exiting the courtroom where his conviction had been overturned, Myers kissed the ground.
The two men had been convicted for the murder of Jeanette Williams and the attempted murder of her girlfriend, Nina Marshall in 1976, but both always maintained their innocence.
Lots of emotion and hugs as Clifford Williams Jr reunited with friends and family, after spending 42 years in prison. This shot was captured by @bridgetteANjax https://t.co/zM3EFNI4gr @ActionNewsJax @WOKVNews pic.twitter.com/8QVviLkUEo
— Stephanie Brown (@SBrownReports) March 28, 2019
According to the Innocence Project, 2.3 to 5% of all prisoners in US jails are innocent.
CONVICTION WAS BASED SOLELY ON EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT
Although she and Jeanette had been asleep when they were shot, Nina identified Williams and Myers as the shooters.
There was no physical evidence linking the men to the crime, but they were found guilty based on her testimony.
Powerful moment as two men see freedom for first time in 40 years. Convicted of murder they didn’t commit. More powerful-what they have to say. See @bridgetteANjax story at 6p @ActionNewsJax CBS47 FOX30 pic.twitter.com/CZsJRk5CFW
— John Bachman (@BachmanANjax) March 28, 2019
CONDEMNED TO DEATH
Williams was originally sentenced to death by the judge, but an appeal four years later commuted the sentence to life in prison.
This, despite the fact that evidence showed that the victims were shot from outside a window, not by men standing at the bottom of the bed as Marshall had claimed.
Jacksonville man who had life sentence thrown out after 42 years says he feels "blessed" https://t.co/s8CRLhOg3W @WOKVNews @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/Fx7KdYnZ8o
— Stephanie Brown (@SBrownReports) March 29, 2019
INNOCENCE PROJECT AND STATE ATTORNEY WORK FOR JUSTICE
The two men's alibi at a nearby party was confirmed by several witnesses and ignored by the court, and Myers learned in 1996 that another man had confessed to the crime.
Williams and Myers wrote to the Innocence Project and set the ball rolling. An investigation was initiated, at the end of which the State's Attorney requested that their sentence be vacated since the State now believed the men to be innocence.
The exoneration of Grover Thompson is the first posthumous exoneration in Illinois and only the 21st such exoneration nationwide, as documented by the National Registry of Exonerations. We are proud to be able to bring justice to Grover's legacy. pic.twitter.com/vgeEZUZ9n4
— IL Innocence Project (@InnocenceIL) January 15, 2019
SAVED BY THE INNOCENCE PROJECT
Clifford Williams and Hubert Myers owe their long-awaited freedom to the hard work and dedication of the men and women of the Innocence Project.
The Innocence Project is a non-profit legal organization that has been working to free people wrongly convicted of crimes through the use of DNA testing - a technique that did not exist until the late 80s.
According to the Innocence Project, 2.3 to 5% of all prisoners in US jails are innocent.
Clifford Williams and Hubert Myers join the 362 wrongfully convicted people freed based on new DNA evidence by the Innocence Project.
