After 50 years in prison -- 37 in solitary confinement -- Philly man's conviction is vacated

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-37-years-solitary-arthur-johnson-wrongful-conviction-20210811.html

In 2017, Arthur “Cetewayo” Johnson won the right to leave solitary confinement after a remarkable 37 years on “restricted release” status in the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections — an indefinite punishment for escape attempts dating back to the 1970s.

Now, the same legal team that advocated to move Johnson into the general population has won an even bigger victory: his release from prison after half a century of incarceration.

On Wednesday, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office and Common Pleas Court Judge Scott DiClaudio agreed the prosecution’s case against Johnson for the 1970 murder of Jerome Wakefield in North Philadelphia was fraught with false and “highly suspect” statements. The DA wrote in a filing that those flaws “seriously undermine the integrity of Johnson’s conviction.”

DiClaudio said the DA’s filing made clear that a 15-year-old witness was coerced during a 30-hour interrogation in which he gave multiple conflicting statements before finally implicating Johnson. “The circumstances of that interrogation, some of it was withheld from your lawyer at the time of trial,” he told Johnson.

*snip*

[secondwind]

1. My god, can't we DO BETTER THAN THIS??? It took half a century to figure things out???!!??

REALLY??? I hope he sues everyone to kingdom come.... because NOTHNG can repay him for what he has gone through.

[BComplex]

2. The prosecutor responsible for that should be confined for 37 years to solitary confinement.

It's the only way justice will ever be served.

[a kennedy]

3. This is a fantastic idea........👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻