One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
L.A. Man's Murder Conviction Overturned After 11 Years in Prison
(Photo by sergign via Shutterstock.)
An L.A. man walked free Friday, 11 years after he was convicted of a murder he didn't commit.
DeAndre Howard, 31, got picked up for murder in 2002 after two people were shot outside a convenience store at 42nd and Hoover. One was killed.
The L.A. Times reports that while Howard had been in trouble with the law before his arrest, he has always maintained that he was innocent. The main evidence for his conviction at trial was eyewitness testimony. Eyewitnesses are often unreliable, and one of the two witnesses who fingered Howard later recanted - plus, the surviving victim said Howard didn't shoot him.
Prosecutors were apparently ambivalent about their case, offering Howard a plea deal to get out of prison by Thanksgiving.
But Howard didn't want to compromise: the case went to a new trial. Howard was acquitted and he walked out of the courtroom free on Friday.
"There's nothing that an attorney or any of us can do to get back the 11 years of his life that were lost to this case," one of Howard's public defenders, Jennifer Turner, told the Times. "But aside from that, this was the most justice we could hope for."
Howard walked free Friday in a jumpsuit, borrowed a cell phone and called his cousin to get picked up. He's celebrating Christmas at his aunt's house in Torrance.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
