Innocent Man Exonerated After 48 Years Behind Bars for Murder

An Oklahoma judge has officially exonerated a man who endured an unjust 48-year imprisonment for a murder he did not commit, marking the longest-known wrongful sentence in the United States.

On Monday, the county district attorney asserted that insufficient evidence existed to justify a new trial.

Subsequently, in an order issued on Tuesday, Judge Amy Palumbo declared the innocence of Mr. Simmons.

In her ruling, Judge Palumbo said Simmons did not commit the offense he was convicted for, considering the overwhelming evidence available before the court.

The judge described the wrongful conviction of Simmons as a profound miscarriage of justice.

Following the ruling, Mr. Simmons shared his thoughts with reporters, emphasizing the importance of resilience and tenacity.

The harrowing saga began in 1974 when Mr. Simmons, aged 22, along with co-defendant Don Roberts, was convicted and initially sentenced to death for the murder of Carolyn Sue Rogers during a liquor store robbery in an Oklahoma City suburb.

The death sentences were later commuted to life imprisonment due to US Supreme Court decisions on the death penalty.

Throughout the decades, Mr. Simmons consistently maintained his innocence, asserting that he was in his home state of Louisiana at the time of the crime.

Currently battling liver cancer, Mr. Simmons faces the arduous journey of rebuilding his life after this long-overdue exoneration.

A GoFundMe campaign has garnered substantial support, raising thousands of dollars to aid in covering his living expenses and chemotherapy costs.