Innocence Regained: Wrongfully Convicted Man On Death Row, Glynn Simmons, Freed After 48 Years in Prison

After nearly five decades, a man who claims he was wrongly convicted of murder has finally seen his case officially closed.

Glynn Simmons, who was just 22 at the time of his conviction in 1974 for the murder of Carolyn Sue Rogers at a local liquor store, has now reached the age of 70.

Originally sentenced to death in 1975, his punishment was later reduced to life imprisonment in 1977 following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, as explained by Vicki Zemp Behenna, an attorney in the Oklahoma County District Court.

In April, Behenna initiated the process to have Simmons' conviction vacated and retried after a case review uncovered crucial information: "a lineup and certain police reports that were available at the time were not turned over to the defense."

Behenna contended that these circumstances raised doubts about Simmons' right to a fair trial.

In July, Oklahoma County District Court Judge Amy Palumbo vacated Simmons' conviction and scheduled a new trial, granting Simmons his first taste of freedom in 48 years.

Subsequently, Behenna pushed for the case to be dismissed, asserting that the state couldn't establish beyond a reasonable doubt that Simmons was responsible for the death.

Behenna pointed out that the absence of physical evidence, the unavailability or decease of the original investigators and detectives, and the unavailability or decease of the surviving victims contributed to this challenge.

Furthermore, the defense contended that one of the lineups had identified an alternate suspect.

On Tuesday, Palumbo ruled that the case would be dismissed with prejudice, preventing any possibility of a retrial.

In an online statement, Simmons expressed his intent to utilize his remaining time to assist others who are still in situations akin to his own. 

He emphasized the need to reform the system to prevent others from enduring the same ordeal: "We need to fix this system so that what happened to me will never happen to anyone else, ever again!" Simmons is currently undergoing chemotherapy for liver cancer.

 

In another news, an Edmonton police officer who admitted guilt to three theft charges and three breach of trust charges will not face job termination following a decision by an Alberta Court of Appeal judge. See detailed story here.

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