400 fucking years for an armed robbery.. someone should die WTF
www.nbcmiami.com
A man sentenced to 400 years in prison in a 1988 armed robbery in Broward is expected to be set free after more than 34 years behind bars.
Sidney Holmes, now 57, is expected to be released from prison Monday following a request from the Broward State Attorney's Office Conviction Review Unit.
BROWARD CONVICTION REVIEW UNIT
Holmes contacted the unit in November 2020 claiming he was innocent in the June 19, 1988 armed robbery of two people outside a convenience store on Northwest 6th Street in unincorporated Broward.
Holmes, of Lauderhill, had been arrested in October 1988 and given the hefty sentence after he was convicted in a jury trial in 1989.
Prosecutors said Holmes had been accused of being the driver for two unidentified men who robbed a man and woman at gunpoint and stole the man's car.
The Conviction Review Unit, working with the Innoceence Project of Florida, investigated and found Holmes had a plausible claim of innocence because of how he became a suspect and because of the precarious eyewitness identification that was the principal evidence against him at trial.
Investigators found the eyewitness 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 they said was scientifically unreliable and contrary to modern-day best practices.
They also found that there was no evidence tying Holmes to the robbery, other than the flawed identification of him as a suspect.
A civilian investigation, launched by the brother of one of the victims, had caused Holmes to become the only suspect, but it was based on some similarities between his extremely common Oldsmobile and the car used by the robbers, prosecutors said. The investigation overlooked differences between the two cars and was likely a misidentification of the vehicle.
Man Given 400-Year Sentence in 1988 Broward Robbery Exonerated After 34 Years in Prison
A man sentenced to 400 years in prison for a 1988 armed robbery is set free after more than 34 years behind bars.
www.nbcmiami.com
A man sentenced to 400 years in prison in a 1988 armed robbery in Broward is expected to be set free after more than 34 years behind bars.
Sidney Holmes, now 57, is expected to be released from prison Monday following a request from the Broward State Attorney's Office Conviction Review Unit.
BROWARD CONVICTION REVIEW UNIT
Holmes contacted the unit in November 2020 claiming he was innocent in the June 19, 1988 armed robbery of two people outside a convenience store on Northwest 6th Street in unincorporated Broward.
Holmes, of Lauderhill, had been arrested in October 1988 and given the hefty sentence after he was convicted in a jury trial in 1989.
Prosecutors said Holmes had been accused of being the driver for two unidentified men who robbed a man and woman at gunpoint and stole the man's car.
The Conviction Review Unit, working with the Innoceence Project of Florida, investigated and found Holmes had a plausible claim of innocence because of how he became a suspect and because of the precarious eyewitness identification that was the principal evidence against him at trial.
Investigators found the eyewitness 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 they said was scientifically unreliable and contrary to modern-day best practices.
They also found that there was no evidence tying Holmes to the robbery, other than the flawed identification of him as a suspect.
A civilian investigation, launched by the brother of one of the victims, had caused Holmes to become the only suspect, but it was based on some similarities between his extremely common Oldsmobile and the car used by the robbers, prosecutors said. The investigation overlooked differences between the two cars and was likely a misidentification of the vehicle.
