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Crosley Green was released from prison in 2021, but last year the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld his conviction.
A Florida man released from prison after a court overturned his murder conviction has returned to prison to finish serving a life sentence for a crime he claims he did not commit.
After exhausting all of his appeals, Crosley Green had to report to authorities by April 17 — and he did. He had previously served over 30 years behind bars, including 19 on death row, before his sentence was commuted to life in prison.
According to USA Today, the Middle District Court of Florida in 2018 ordered Green’s released or a new trial for the 1989 murder of Charles “Chip” Flynn, citing prosecutor Chris White’s failure to turn over notes that would have likely helped Green’s defense.
In 2021, Green was released from prison while awaiting the result of the appellate procedure, but last year the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the Middle District Court’s decision, essentially upholding his conviction.
His attorneys at Washington, D.C.-based Crowell & Moring attempted to have the case heard by the Supreme Court, which turned them down.
Green’s freedom now depends on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis or the state’s parole commission. Still, he continues to hope that he will clear his name and go free again.
“There’s still a feeling of joy in my heart,” Green said last week, USA Today reported. “I may have to go back for a month, six months, whatever, but I will be coming back home. That day is coming. I can’t tell you when, but it’s coming.”
Because of several issues with his trial, many individuals — including the two responding Brevard County Sheriff’s deputies who interacted with the victim before he passed away — believe Green is innocent.
The officers reportedly suspected Flynn’s ex-girlfriend, Kim Hallock, was accountable. They told White what they saw, but the prosecutor didn’t give Green’s defense lawyer access to his notes from their conversation.
Other striking issues include the fact that tests on Flynn’s hands returned negative for gunshot residue, while Hallock never received a test. She told police a shootout ensued after Flynn had fired his handgun at a Black assailant. Also, three state witnesses would change their testimony, claiming that prosecutor White had coerced them into testifying against Green in exchange for leniency in their drug-related charges.
Retired Sgt. Diane Clark has been an advocate of Green’s. “When I put on a badge, I took an oath to serve and protect the community, and that meant all of the community,” she said last year, according to USA Today. “I looked for the truth. In this particular case, the truth is hidden. And to me, that’s a travesty of justice. Crosley has spent half of his life in prison for something I don’t believe he did.”
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