"I've been inside for 32 years, three months and 14 days. It's been that
long". These were the words of Andrew Leander Wilson as he walked out
of jail haven been wrongfully convicted.
Wilson went in at the age of 30 when he was convicted of murder and now
at 62 he is a free man because evidence had come to light that the
prosecution withheld in the case all those years ago.
Superior Court Judge Laura Priver ruled Wilson had been deprived of his
constitutional rights to a fair trial, vacating his conviction and
ordering his immediate release.
His attorneys and students from the Loyola Law School Project for the
Innocent worked to bring the new information to light. The information
they found showed the prosecution had withheld information during the
murder trial.
Wilson had maintained his innocence since the day he was arrested for
the stabbing death of a 21-year-old man in 1984. The man was sleeping in
his truck when he was fatally stabbed. His girlfriend Saladena Bishop
was also in the truck. Wilson's attorneys said the prosecution withheld
key pieces of evidence concerning the main witness.
He'll now have the chance to see his 96-years old mother who had long fought for her son's release from her home in Missouri.
He'll now have the chance to see his 96-years old mother who had long fought for her son's release from her home in Missouri.
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