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Wrongful Conviction

Police & Fire
Philadelphia Man Freed From Life Sentence, Witness Bribed With Sex For Lies Philadelphia Man Freed From Life Sentence, Witness Bribed With Sex For Lies
Philadelphia Man Freed From Life Sentence, Witness Bribed With Sex For Lies A Philadelphia inmate who served 37 years in state prison walked out of the facility a free man on Tuesday after a federal court tossed his 1984 murder conviction. Willie Stokes, 61, was sentenced to life behind bars after police bribed a witness in his case -- Franklin Lee with -- sex, drugs, and a light sentence in exchange for false testimony in the 1980 case, officials said. A hug from his mom and a corned beef hoagie were what he looked forward to getting most, the Associated Press reports. Lee was being held on unrelated rape and murder charges at the time, and said he "felt weak and …

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by Nicole Acosta
News
New Evidence Could Free North Jersey Man's Accused Killer From Lifetime In Prison New Evidence Could Free North Jersey Man's Accused Killer From Lifetime In Prison
New Evidence Could Free North Jersey Man's Accused Killer From Lifetime In Prison New evidence suggesting that the suspected killer of a Teaneck man was framed could set him free from a lifetime in prison -- that is, if the judge will even consider the testimony. In 2006, Afrim Tairi and two others were convicted of the fatal beating of Howard Lewis, co-owner of Paterson's Sealy Mattress Co. Four years later, Tairi was sentenced to life in prison. Tairi's co-defendants recently told a "jailhouse lawyer" that he never actually killed Lewis -- he was framed, NJ.com reports. Tairi's lawyers are fighting to toss the conviction and get him a new trial. Secondhand c…

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by Cecilia Levine