A resident of the American state of Philadelphia was released after 19 years spent behind bars for a crime he did not commit, reports the Black Star News.
Termaine Hicks was accused of rape, which happened in 2001. Then a 26-year-old man was walking home and heard a scream. He saw a badly beaten woman and wanted to get his phone to call an ambulance.
At that moment, the police arrived at the scene and were called by the neighbors. They shot the innocent man in the back three times. Only then did they realize the mistake. Hicks’ appearance did not match the description of the attacker.
Then the employees of law enforcement decided to hide their mistake. At the trial, they lied that Hicks pulled out a pistol and attacked them. As a result, in 2002 the man was accused of rape, aggravated assault, possession of weapons. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison
His case was taken up by the human rights organization The Innocence Project (“Project Innocence”). An independent medical examination showed that Hicks was shot from behind. The gun, which the police allegedly found in his pocket, was in fact the backup weapon of one of the law enforcement officers.
Hicks was rehabilitated and released on Wednesday, December 16.
Earlier it was reported that a resident of the American state of Michigan served 37 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, and was released after the witness confessed to a lie. The witness explained that she had slandered the man, as she was intimidated by two local residents who lived next door to her.