An Oklahoma man who served nearly half a century for a murder he didn't commit has finally had his name cleared.Glynn Simmons was just 22 years old on December 30‚ 1974‚ the night two robbers entered a liquor store in Edmond‚ Oklahoma‚ located just outside Oklahoma City‚ and shot and killed the clerk on duty‚ Carolyn Sue Rogers. An eyewitness — described by KFOR as "a traumatized teenager who had been shot in the back of the head" — picked out two suspects from police lineups: Simmons and Don Roberts.Simmons pled not guilty‚ insisting that he was in Louisiana on the day of the murder. But the eyewitness' testimony carried the day‚ and the jury voted to convict both defendants.Roberts and Simmons were then sentenced to death row. However‚ a SCOTUS ruling in 1977 changed their sentences to life in prison. They both spent decades behind bars. Roberts was released in 2008 after receiving parole‚ but Simmons continued to languish in prison for another 15 years‚ all the while maintaining his innocence.Simmons caught a break last year when his attorney‚ Joe Norwood‚ convinced a court to take another look at his client's case. In July‚ Oklahoma County District Judge Amy Palumbo ordered a new trial‚ and as a result‚ District Attorney Vicki Behenna had to admit that prosecutors in the original trial may have withheld evidence from the defense. Part of that evidence included police reports indicating that the eyewitness identified several other black men from the police lineups in addition to Roberts and Simmons.Simmons was then released‚ having served 48 years‚ one month‚ and 18 days in prison. Of all former inmates who were eventually exonerated of the crimes for which they were convicted‚ Simmons served the longest sentence in U.S. history by nearly a full year.Not content with just his freedom‚ Simmons then pressed for a declaration of innocence from the court. In September‚ DA Behenna announced that her office would not retry the case but stopped short of calling for a full exoneration.Simmons and his attorney persevered‚ however‚ and on Tuesday‚ Judge Palumbo made it official. "This court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the offense for which Mr. Simmons was convicted‚ sentenced and imprisoned … was not committed by Mr. Simmons‚" she said. In the eyes of the law‚ Simmons is an innocent man.Simmons walked outside the court with a smile on his face and his hands raised in victory. "It’s a lesson in resilience and tenacity‚" he said in a brief statement. "Don’t let nobody tell you that [exoneration] can’t happen because it really can." "He had 50 years stolen from him‚" Norwood‚ Simmons' attorney‚ added. "The prime earning years of his life‚ when he could have been getting experiences and developing skills. That was taken from him by no fault of his own."Norwood added that his team would now look to secure some compensation for Simmons at the state and federal levels‚ but such processes can take years and likely won't yield much money. Norwood estimated that the state will‚ at most‚ pay $175‚000."Getting him compensation‚ and getting compensation is not for sure‚ is in the future‚ and he has to sustain himself now‚" Norwood said.Simmons‚ now 71 and recently diagnosed with cancer‚ is living on a GoFundMe account established by friends.A spokesperson for DA Behenna declined NPR's request for comment.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Glenn Beck and the BlazeTV documentary team have made an incredible discovery in the story of Colony Ridge‚ Texas. Up until now‚ reporting has suggested that the massive immigrant settlement outside of Houston was cartel-infested‚ crime-ridden‚ and set up by developers who are immorally taking advantage of the immigrants. However‚ Glenn has done his due diligence‚ and he now believes the story is much‚ much more complicated than anyone originally thought. Glenn’s head writer and researcher‚ Jason Buttrill‚ is in agreement. Based on what he heard‚ Buttrill tells Glenn that he expected “basically almost what I saw in Iraq.” Now that he’s been there‚ he “can’t fathom how that’s the story that you get just by showing up‚ driving around‚ and saying‚ ‘Okay‚ this is what’s going on‚’ because the story is a lot more complicated than that.” One story in particular that wasn’t what it seemed was the death of two teenagers who appeared to have been shot execution-style in their car‚ which was parked by mailboxes in Colony Ridge. “Now‚ we’re hearing that perhaps that didn’t happen there‚ that this was crime that was a body dump‚” Glenn says. “There’s only one truth in the end‚” Glenn says‚ adding‚ “and I’m really glad to say this: we are doing everything we can to get to that truth. Not our truth‚ not the story we think people want to hear but the actual story.” While it’s possible that what’s happening in Colony Ridge may be immoral‚ Glenn and Jason aren’t sure it’s the crime-ridden place full of illegal activities that he’s been told. “There’s a lot more than meets the eye‚ and I mean‚ you’re really not going to get into it if you operate like the mainstream media does‚” Jason tells Glenn‚ adding‚ “They take a story‚ and they run a narrative‚ and that’s what gets pushed out to the entire country. And you never learn any further. You never go deeper. And that’s what I really love about what we’re doing now.” Want more from Glenn Beck?To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling‚ thought-provoking analysis‚ and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos‚ subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America‚ defend the Constitution‚ and live the American dream.

Baldur’s Gate 3‚ winner of numerous GOTY awards and one of the most acclaimed PC games of all time‚ has just received its first-ever post-launch discount on Steam. Larian’s beloved turn-based RPG became something of an instant classic at its 1.0 launch back in August‚ in no small part thanks to the viral bear sex‚ but we also mustn't forget its wonderfully strange cast and almost uniquely ambitious choice-and-consequence-driven adventuring. Continue reading Baldur’s Gate 3’s first-ever Steam sale is live for a limited time MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Baldur's Gate 3 builds‚ BG3 mods‚ Baldur's Gate 3 classes

Navigating the Steam Winter Sale 2023 can be a bit of a daunting task‚ with so many big discounts on all manner of great PC games. With a plethora of amazing games launching in 2023‚ you likely haven’t had time to get to them all - I know my backlog still has games from several years in‚ and it’s only gotten bigger over the past twelve months. Fortunately‚ we’re here to help‚ with eight of our top picks from the current offering. Continue reading 8 top games to grab during the Steam Winter Sale 2023 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Steam FAQ‚ Steam family sharing‚ Steam in-home streaming

Dying Light 2 continues to expand with countless collaborations and a development team dedicated to rolling content out post-launch. With a variety of big names under its belt‚ such as Dead Island and Dying Light‚ developer Techland isn't solely improving upon its 2022 zombie parkour sequel‚ though. Thanks to a recently listed job offer‚ we now know that the team has a brand-new game in the works‚ a fantastical open-world ARPG. Continue reading Dead Island and Dying Light 2 dev making new “open world action RPG” MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Dying Light 2 review‚ Dying Light 2 factions‚ Best zombie games

On July 13‚ 2011‚ Rebecca Zahau was found dead at her boyfriend's California home — just days after his young son suffered a fatal fall while under her care. The post The Mysterious ‘Suicide’ Of Rebecca Zahau‚ Who Was Found Bound‚ Gagged‚ And Hanging From Her Boyfriend’s Balcony appeared first on All That's Interesting.

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