Detroit Man Exonerated Of Murder After 45 Years In Prison

DETROIT, MI – Richard Phillips is a free and exonerated man. After spending the majority of his life – 45 years – in prison for a murder he didn't commit, the 71-year-old was officially cleared of the crime on Wednesday.

Wayne County Judge Kevin Cox on Wednesday dismissed charges of first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder at the request of Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy. A key witness in Phillips' original trial in October 1972 lied, Worthy said. In November 1972, he and another man were sentenced to life in prison without parole for the shooting death of Gregory Harris.

At the urging of Innocence Clinic at the University of Michigan law school, his case was reopened after a witness, Richard Palombo, testified during his own parole hearing that Phillips had not been been involved in Harris' death. Rather, another man, Fred Mitchell, killed Harris, Palombo testified, according to a statement from Worthy's office.

"There's nothing I can say to bring back 40 years of his life," Worthy said. "The system failed him. This is a true exoneration."

After being granted a new trial last year, Phillips was released on bond from prison in December. Since then, Worthy's office reviewed the case and determined there was "clear and convincing new evidence" that Phillips did not kill Harris.

On Wednesday, Phillips met with reporters and said he was not bitter for his imprisonment for four-and-a-half decades, but rather noted that the justice system "works, it just didn’t work fast enough in my case." He says he is working on putting his life back in order and adjusting to life outside prison. Among things he needed to do was get a birth certificate and state identification, and his driver's license – which he noted he has not received yet.

Phillips likely will be eligible for more than $2 million under Michigan’s wrongful conviction law.

Gabi Silver, an attorney from the Innocence Clinic, said that Phillips has lived a humble, quiet life since his release in December.

"It saddens me to think about the potential this man, who is now 71, could have had but for the decades of wrongful incarceration," Silver said. "He is an incredibly intelligent, warm, engaging and caring man who has much to offer. I am lucky to call him my friend."

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