Photo: Matt Rourke/AP/Shutterstock
A Philadelphia man walked out of prison Monday after he was sentenced in 1984 to life for a murder, which he insisted he never committed.
Willie Stokes was convicted of murder in 1984, but days later, the key witness in the case admitted his testimony was false and was eventually prosecuted for perjury,according to theWashington Post.
In November, during an evidentiary hearing, witness Franklin Lee testified that his initial statement given to police and his testimony at the preliminary hearing implicating Stokes in the 1980 murder of Leslie Campbell in North Philadelphia had been false, according to a statement from Philadelphia’s District Attorney’s Office.
During a preliminary hearing in 1984, Lee claimed Stokes, a neighborhood friend, confessed to killing Campbell during a dice game,the Associated Press reported.
Lee was in jail facing murder and rape charges in 1984 when two homicide detectives offered him “sex, drugs, and a deal,” in exchange for his false statement, he said during the November hearing, thePostreports.
Lee apologized to Stokes, who listened to the hearing via teleconference and started to cry, according to multiple reports.
“And I’d like to for the record, if I can, apologize to Mr. Stokes and the family for the problem I caused, sincerely,” Lee said, thePostreported.
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On Dec. 22, Magistrate Judge Carol Sandra Moore Wells filed a report and stated, “there is a reasonable probability that Stokes would have been acquitted without Lee’s testimony and that the trial verdict is therefore unreliable.”
Stokes' attorney Michael Diamondstein held a press conference after he was released Monday.
“He took his first free breaths this afternoon after almost 40 years, and he is very happy and humbled,” Diamondstein said, and added that Stokes' first wish was to “get a corned beef hoagie,” thePostreported.
“Today is a tremendous day. We’re all very thankful,” Diamondstein said. “However, it’s also a sad day, because it reminds us of how lawless, unfair and unjust Philadelphia law enforcement was for so long.”
A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 26 when the DA’s office will formally announce whether they will retry Stokes.
source: people.com
