A man has been released from prison after 22 years after the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office acknowledged that his murder conviction was tainted by key testimony from a rogue police officer who turned out to be a serial bank robber.
“I’m not that shocked anymore, but this did,” said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy. “I have never seen anything like this in all my decades as a judge or prosecutor.”
LaVone Hill was sentenced to life in prison after his 2002 conviction for the fatal shootings of two men.
Investigators had a signed statement from a man who said he witnessed the shooting. But during the trial he recanted, saying he had been coerced by the police.
The jury also heard from Detroit Police Sgt. Walter Bates, who denied coercing the witness. The jury apparently believed the officer and found Hill guilty.
But Worthy noted that jurors and Hill’s attorney did not know Bates had been suspended at the time of his testimony. Bates was later convicted in federal court of orchestrating bank robberies.
“I cannot say whether (Hill) is guilty or not guilty of this crime,” Worthy said. “Here’s what I can say definitively: Former Sergeant Bates’ testimony in the trial of Mr. Hill was a crucial part of his case. No one at the trial – not the assistant prosecutor, not the defense attorney or the judge – became aware of Bates’ massive and persistent criminal conduct before, during and after the investigation and trial.”
Hill, who has repeatedly stated his innocence, was released from prison on Wednesday. He was represented by the University of Michigan Law School’s Innocence Clinic, which uncovered other problems with the case. The clinic said the victims were shot with a rifle, not a handgun, as the jury was told.
“I wasn’t even there when this crime happened,” Hill told a judge. “I spent almost 23 years in prison because of the misconduct of the Detroit Police Department.”
