World News
Man serving 400-year prison sentence exonerated after new probe finds wrongful conviction
A man who has served more than 34 years of a 400-year prison sentence has been released after the state of Florida reinvestigated the case and determined he did not commit armed robbery.
“I can’t put it into words,” said Sidney Holmes, now 57, in an interview with ABC affiliate WPLG after he was exonerated and freed on Monday. “It’s overwhelming.”
According to Broward County State Attorney Harold F. Pryor, a thorough reinvestigation of the 1988 armed robbery case that led to Holmes’ conviction “raised reasonable doubts about his guilt.”
“With the Christian faith I have, I can’t have hate,” Holmes said. “Just have to keep moving.”
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Holmes was arrested in October 1988 for allegedly being the driver for two unidentified men who robbed a man and woman at gunpoint outside a store, according to Pryor. The two unidentified men stole the male victim’s car.
Holmes was convicted in a jury trial in April 1989, and sentenced to 400 years in prison. Prosecutors at the time had asked the judge to sentence him to 825 years, the CRU report found.
“The reason for my recommendation and an exceedingly high number of years is to ensure that he won’t be released from prison while he’s breathing,” prosecutor Peter Magrino said at the time, according to the CRU. He also said that he did not ask for a lifetime sentence because “back then Holmes would have been eligible for parole after 25 years,” the report read.
Holmes was sentenced as a habitual offender, as he was previously convicted of armed robbery for two incidents occurring in August 1984 — in which Holmes pleaded guilty and “immediately confessed.”
The CRU memo also notes that Holmes never claimed to know who the robbers were, which was very unlike his previous robbery conviction in which he gave statements against the other person involved.
In 2020, Holmes contacted the State Attorney’s Conviction Review Unit (CRU) claiming he was “factually innocent” of the armed robbery of two people outside a convenience store, Pryor said in a statement.
The CRU found that there is “no evidence” connecting Holmes to the robbery besides a flawed identification of him and the vehicle involved in the robbery. The CRU found that witness identification of Holmes was likely a “misidentification,” partly due to the photo and live lineup practices commonly used by law enforcement at the time, which are “scientifically unreliable,” according to the state attorney’s office.
The state attorney’s office also found that Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies who did the original investigations “expressed shock” that Holmes was sentenced to 400 years and had served more than three decades.
“We have one rule here at the Broward State Attorney’s Office – do the right thing, always,” Pryor said in a statement. “As prosecutors, our only agenda is to promote public safety in our community and to ensure that justice is served. I commend the victims, witnesses and law enforcement officers for their candor and assistance in reinvestigating a crime that occurred more than 34 years ago.”
SOURCE: abc news
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After increasing excitement to a boiling point, Chicago hip-hop trailblazer and multiplatinum superstar Lil Durk unleashes his anxiously awaited eighth full-length offering and one of the year’s most anticipated albums, Almost Healed, out now. Stream Almost Healed on all DSPs HERE.
Superstar icon Alicia Keys notably stars in the music video for “Therapy Session/Pelle Coat,” which just premiered. Watch it HERE. The visual features her in emotionally charged and thought-provoking moments alongside Lil Durk. It marks their first collaboration together.
Tense production underlines his reflective rhymes as the accompanying visual explores his relationship with the streets and faith through a series of arresting vignettes. It instantly captivates—like everything he does.
Almost Healed pops off as his most personal, engaging, and enigmatic project to date. Laced with bold bangers and introspective anthems alike, it highlights his undeniable melodies and incisive bars at the forefront. He not only shines solo on the likes of “Never Again,” but he also distinguishes himself as the rare chameleonic force who can collaborate with country superstar Morgan Wallen on “Stand By Me” or the late Juice WRLD on “Cross The Globe.”
He may be Almost Healed, but he still takes no prisoners lyrically…
Check out the full tracklisting below.
Fittingly, he set the stage for the project with the single “All My Life” [feat. J. Cole]. Upon arrival, it bowed at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, arriving his first Top 5! It has already reeled in over 80 million worldwide streams and over 20 million YouTube views on the accompanying music video in just under three weeks!
In support of Almost Healed, Durk launches one of the year’s most anticipated jaunts—the Sorry For The Drought Tour. He will be joined by special guests Kodak Black, NLE Choppa, and DD Osama in select cities. Produced by Live Nation, the 27-city tour kicks off on July 28 at MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheater in Tampa making stops across the U.S. in Brooklyn, Chicago, Los Angeles and more before wrapping up in Phoenix at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre on September 7.
The 2023 tour run comes after his successful ‘The 7220 Tour’ which hit North America in 2022 featuring special guests Doodie Lo & Booka600. Last year, Lil Durk owned the charts with the platinum-certified 7220, which crashed the Billboard 200 as his first #1 debut on the chart and boasted “AHHH HA,” “What Happened To Virgil” [feat. Gunna], and the cross-genre smash “Broadway Girls” [feat. Morgan Wallen].
Get tickets for the Sorry For The Drought Tour at Ticketmaster.com and A
Experience Almost Healed now! It’s Durk’s year…
TRACKLISTING:
1. Therapy Session
2. Pelle Coat
3. All My Life (feat. J. Cole)
4. Never Again
5. Put Em On Ice
6. Big Dawg (feat. Chief Wuk)
7. Never Imagined (feat. Future)
8. Sad Songs
9. Before Fajr
10. War Bout It (feat. 21 Savage)
11. You Got Em
12. Grandson (feat. Kodak Black)
13. 300 Urus
14. Same Side (feat. Rob49)
15. B12
16. At This Point We Stuck
17. Cross The Globe (feat. Juice WRLD)
18. Dru Hill
19. Belt 2 Ass
20. Stand By Me (feat. Morgan Wallen)
21. Moment of Truth
SORRY FOR THE DROUGHT 2023 TOUR DATES:
Fri Jul 28 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheater
Sat Jul 29 – Atlanta, GA – Lakewood Amphitheatre ^&
Sun Jul 30 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
Tue Aug 01 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
Thu Aug 03 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
Fri Aug 04 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena ^
Sat Aug 05 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
Sun Aug 06 – Boston, MA – Xfinity Center
Tue Aug 08 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
Wed Aug 09 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage ^
Fri Aug 11 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Sun Aug 13 – Indianapolis, IN – Ruoff Music Center
Tue Aug 15 – Detroit, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
Wed Aug 16 – Cleveland, OH – Blossom Music Center
Fri Aug 18 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Sat Aug 19 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
Mon Aug 21 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
Tue Aug 22 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center
Wed Aug 23 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
Fri Aug 25 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater
Sat Aug 26 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena ^&
Tue Aug 29 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Wed Aug 30 – Portland, OR – RV Inn Styles Resort Amphitheater
Fri Sep 01 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
Sat Sep 02 – San Diego, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre ^&
Wed Sep 06 – Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum
Thu Sep 07 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
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