Five decades ago, a black Louisiana man was convicted of attempted aggravated rape and sentenced to 100 years in jail. On February 14, he was freed from a state penitentiary.
A court determined days before Vincent Simmons’ 70th birthday that he did not get a fair trial. In 1977, Simmons was convicted of attempted sexual assault of Karen and Sharon Sanders, twin sisters from Marksville, Louisiana, by a mostly white jury. The twins, both of whom were Caucasian, were 14 at the time of the claimed occurrence.
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Eleven white males and one black woman made up the jury. Convicted at the age of 25, Simmons maintained his innocence for nearly 44 years. Avoyelles Parish Judge William Bennett’s credibility has been questioned in light of new evidence concerning his case.
Simmons’ attorney, Justin Bonus, submitted a request for his release, alleging material that would have favored his client but was never offered at trial.
Another piece of evidence that came to light was the prosecution’s failure to provide a medical assessment during Simmons’ trial.
Additionally, Simmons said that the lineup shot used to display the adolescent females portrayed him in handcuffs rather than the other black guys. Sharon Sanders maintains that this is not true and that she, her sister, and their cousin chose him from the lineup, uncuffed.
Eddie Knoll, the former district attorney who prosecuted this case and would have revealed the photographs to the children, denied an interview request. He did state, however, that a photograph of Simmons in handcuffs was taken after the lineup and that Simmons’ defense had access to all the evidence.
Laurie White, one of the attorneys Simmons retained to file an appeal in an effort to get a new trial for Simmons, said it is not accurate since if they had had access to the evidence, it may have altered the course of Simmons’ life.
With the new information, Marksville district attorney Charlie Riddle III offered to release Simmons on the condition that he serve his term and register as a sex offender.
Judge Bill Bennett did not feel that the additional evidence made it as clear-cut as Riddle claimed. Rather, the court granted Simmons’ release on the condition that he faces a new trial. While Bennett had “no view” on the guy’s guilt or innocence, he said that the man did not get a fair trial since the evidence was not provided to the man’s initial counsel.
Source: Man Walks Free After Serving 44 Years For Violent Crime He Didn’t Commit
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