On March 1, 2023, Maurice Hastings was declared factually innocent by a judge in Los Angeles after spending 38 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. The decision was made at the request of prosecutors and his lawyers from the Los Angeles Innocence Project, and his conviction was vacated in October of the same year. His lawyers expressed their gratitude for the judge’s decision, noting the importance of the work of the Innocence Project and the need for reform in the criminal justice system.
Posts tagged as “the Innocence Project”
After spending more than 20 years in prison for a 1991 murder, kidnapping and sexual assault, Albert "Ian" Schweitzer was released on Tuesday after a Hawaii judge ordered his immediate release. His attorneys presented new evidence, including DNA testing of evidence collected from the crime scene, which showed that Schweitzer was not the perpetrator, as well as evidence that the victim had been seen with another man shortly before her death. Schweitzer's attorneys from the Innocence Project have argued that he was wrongfully convicted and have been fighting for his release for years. He is now reunited with his family and looking forward to starting a new life.