Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
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.
Support for LAist comes from
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.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake. -
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
Best of LAist