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February 17, 2022

Vincent Simmons Freed After 44 Years in Prison After Judge Rules He Did Not Receive Fair Trial
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In Louisiana, a Black man who spent 44 years behind bars was released
from Angola state prison this week after a judge ruled he never got a
fair trial. Vincent Simmons was convicted by a nearly all-white jury in
1977 of attempted aggravated rape and sentenced to 100 years. But key
pieces of evidence were withheld from his lawyers at the time. Over the
years Simmons had tried to get a new trial more than a dozen times.
While he was not acquitted of the charges, the district attorney has
declined to retry Simmons. Vincent Simmons turned 70 years old today.


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