Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy has dismissed charges against a man who was wrongfully convicted and spent 45 years in prison up until his release last year.
Richard Phillips says he never gave up hope that he'd have his freedom again.
"I have faith in God. I expected this to happen, I just didn't expect this
to take this long," he says.
Phillips, now 71, was convicted fo first degree premeditated murder in the death of Gregory Harris back in 1972. He was sentenced to serve concurrent terms of life in prison without parole, all based on the testimony of the victim's brother-in-law, Fred Mitchell.
During a parole board hearing in 2010, the co-defendant admitted that he and Mitchell killed Harris, and that he didn’t even know Phillips at the time of the murder.
Phillips’ conviction was thrown out in August 2017 and he was granted a new trial.
The Innocence Clinic at the University of Michigan Law School began working on Phillips’ case in 2014.
In December 2017, he was granted bond and released from prison.
Worthy said the entire case was based on false testimony, and said what happened to him was not justice and he was wronged.
"I wish him well, but that sounds so hollow. Justice is being done today .. There's nothing we can do even though charges were dismissed today to bring back those years of his life," said Worthy.
