Man jailed for 400 years released after 34 years for crime he didn't commit
A man serving 400 years in prison for armed robbery has been released from jail after 34 years after it was found he didn't commit the crime.
Sidney Holmes, from Florida, had spent over 34 years in confinement for his involvement in a carjacking near Fort Lauderdale, US, in 1988.
The judge vacated his sentence after a thorough reinvestigation of the 1988 armed robbery case that led to Holmes’ conviction “raised reasonable doubts about his guilt”.
Upon his release, 57-year-old Holmes first hugged his mother outside the Broward County Main Jail.
"I never would give up hope," Holmes told reporters at the court.
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"I knew this day was going to come sooner or later, and today is the day."
A Florida man serving 400 years in prison for armed robbery walked out of jail on Monday (NBC News)He added: "With the Christian faith I have, I can't have hate, just have to keep moving.”
In October 1988, Holmes was arrested for reportedly serving as the driver for two unknown men who held up a man and woman at gunpoint outside a store.
The male victim's car was taken by the two unidentified men.
After being found guilty by a jury in April 1989, Holmes received a 400-year prison sentence.
The CRU report revealed that during that time, the prosecution had urged the judge to impose a sentence of 825 years.
Prosecutor Peter Magrino said at the time: "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."
He also said that he did not ask for a life sentence because "back then Holmes would have been eligible for parole after 25 years".
He hugs relatives outside the Broward County Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale (NBC News)Due to his prior convictions for armed robbery in August 1984, in which he had promptly admitted guilt and confessed, Holmes was sentenced as a habitual offender.
The Conviction Review Unit, the Innocence Project of Florida, and an independent review panel, who re-examined the case, discovered issues with the process of witness identification.
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The victim did not identify a suspect after having viewed a book of 250 possible suspects and after having viewed a six-photo line-up that included Holmes, NBC reports.
Following this, the victim identified Holmes from a photo line-up, then singled him out in a live line-up of suspects, and pointed to him in court as the driver on the day of the incident. Holmes was the only individual whom the victim identified multiple times.
A contemporary expert decried the process, saying it was tainted by Holmes' repeated appearance, according to the review unit.
Holmes' family await his arrival outside the Broward County Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale (NBC News)The woman in the car was unable to identify any suspects, the reviewers said.
The court agreed that there there was not a clear foundation for Holmes' prosecution, those involved in the reinvestigation and the review concluded.
In the memo, it said Holmes cooperated with investigators because he had faith in his innocence.
"There is no evidence tying Holmes to the robbery," the Broward State Attorney's Office said in its statement.
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