A man, who had spent more than 16 years in prison due to a wrongful conviction and was later proven innocent, tragically lost his life in an encounter with a Georgia sheriff's deputy.
Leonard Allan Cure, 53, who had suffered from a wrongful conviction and was exonerated, was fatally shot by a Camden County deputy during a traffic stop, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
GBI's initial findings suggest that the deputy pulled Cure over on Interstate 95 Northbound, just south of Mile Marker 9 in Camden County. Cure initially complied with the deputy's requests but was informed that he was under arrest. At this point, he resisted arrest, and the deputy used a Taser to subdue him. However, Cure continued to resist, prompting the deputy to deploy the Taser a second time and use an ASP baton. Despite these efforts, Cure remained uncooperative, leading to the deputy drawing his firearm and firing.
Medical personnel attempted to save Cure, but unfortunately, he did not survive, as reported by the GBI.
The Innocence Project of Florida expressed its deep sadness upon hearing of Cure's death and mourned his loss. Cure was en route to his South Florida home after visiting his mother, the organization stated. He had been wrongfully convicted in 2003 for an armed robbery in Florida, resulting in a life sentence. In April 2020, his sentence was modified, and Cure was released. In December 2020, he was officially exonerated after new evidence, including an ATM receipt proving his innocence, came to light following a reinvestigation conducted by the Innocence Project of Florida and the Conviction Review Unit (CRU) of the Broward County State Attorney's Office.
The organization highlighted that the photo array used in Cure's original case contained multiple images of him, making it an unreliable and suggestive form of identification. The State of Florida recognized Cure's actual innocence, formally apologized for his wrongful imprisonment, and facilitated his release.
After his exoneration, Cure reconnected with his family, lived near Atlanta, and pursued a career in the music industry. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a claims bill awarding Cure $817,000 as compensation for his wrongful conviction and imprisonment, as reported by the Associated Press.
The GBI announced it would conduct an independent investigation into the incident and would hand the case file to the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office for review upon its completion.
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