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Wrongly Convicted Database Record
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Charge: |
Second Degree Murder |
Sentence: |
Life Imprisonment with 32 year minimum |
Years Imprisoned: |
25 |
Year Crime: |
1992 |
Year Convicted: |
1992 |
Year Cleared: |
2017 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
Michigan |
County or Region of Crime: |
Wayne |
City of Crime: |
Detroit |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated Released |
Summary of Case: |
"Desmond Ricks was wrongly convicted in 1992 of second-degree murder in Detroit. Ricks' prosecution was based on bullet evidence that was alleged to link him to the crime. After his conviction by a jury he was sentenced to 32 years to life in prison. On May 26, 2017 Desmond Ricks' conviction was vacated based on the new evidence the police planted the bullet evidence relied on by the jury to convict him: the bullets removed from the victim could not have come from a gun the Detroit police seized from Ricks. The charges were dismissed on June 1, 2017 when the Wayne County District Attorney's Office declined to retry him. David Moran, director of the Innocence Clinic at University of Michigan, told reporters: “What [Ricks] was saying seemed to be outlandish: The Detroit police crime lab would not only make mistakes but switch bullets. It wasn’t outlandish — it was true. This outlandish conduct cost Desmond Ricks 25 years." In August 2017 Ricks filed a $125 million federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Detroit and Detroit PD officers involved in his case. On January 17, 2018 Ricks was awarded $1 million wrongful imprisonment compensation by the State of Michigan. The State declined to award Ricks compensation for the 4-1/3 years he had been imprisoned for a parole violation for a previous crime. Ricks sued, arguing he was entitled to compensation for those years because his parole violation had been triggered by his arrest for the murder he didn't commit. The trial court and the Michigan Court of Appeal ruled against him. On July 8, 2021, in a 4 to 3 majority ruling, the Michigan Supreme Court sided with Ricks in agreeing he was entitled to an additional $216,000 in compensation. In a dissent joined by Justices Elizabeth Clement and David Viviano, Justice Brian Zahra said the Legislature “did not intend to provide compensation for every wrong that resulted from the wrongful imprisonment.”" |
Conviction Caused By: |
Erroneous expert testimony that two bullets removed from the victim matched a gun presented at trial as the murder weapon. |
Innocence Proved By: |
"On May 26, 2017 Desmond Ricks' conviction was vacated based on the new evidence the police planted the bullet evidence relied on by the jury to convict him. The charges were dismissed on June 1, 2017 when the Wayne County District Attorney's Office declined to retry him." |
Defendant Aided By: |
Innocence Clinic of the University of Michigan |
Compensation Awarded: |
"$1.216 million total. $1 million (State of Michigan, 1-17-2018) $216,000 (State of Michigan, Juy 8, 2021)" |
Was Perpetrator Identified? |
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Age When Imprisoned: |
26 |
Age When Released: |
51 |
Sex: |
Male |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
Black |
Information Source 1: |
"Murder case dropped after man serves 25 years in prison, By Ed White, APNews.com, June 1, 2017" |
Information Location 1: |
https://apnews.com/1d685218d98d41eea8d3c5c99d1569e1/Murder-case-dropped-after-man-serves-25-years-in-prison |
Information Source 2: |
"Man Exonerated After 25 Years in Prison Sues City, Police for $125 Million, By Inside Edition, CBS8.com (Detroit, MI), August 25, 2017" |
Information Location 2: |
http://www.cbs8.com/story/36218750/man-exonerated-after-25-years-in-prison-sues-city-police-for-125-million |
Information Source 3: |
"Detroit man awarded $1 million for wrongful conviction, By The Associated Press, The Philadelphia Tribune, January 19, 2018" |
Information Location 3: |
http://www.phillytrib.com/news/across_america/across-america-detroit-man-awarded-million-for-wrongful-conviction/article_0f136299-952b-55e5-bd18-71a6a8a2016b.html |
Information Source 4: |
"Michigan court extends compensation to wrongly convicted man, By Associated Press, Detroit Free Press, July 8, 2021" |
Information Location 4: |
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/07/08/michigan-court-extends-compensation-wrongly-convicted-man/7904457002/ |
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Information Location 5: |
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Comments About Case: |
Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org