New Orleans man Cedric Dent is free after spending nearly 25 years behind bars for a fatal shooting that he did not commit.
The witness made up 6 different stories “I was a working man. I was taking care of my family. I was 23… I’m 47 now”.
Court records show a motion to vacate the conviction of Cedric L. Dent, 47, in the shooting death of Anthony Milton was granted by a judge Monday and the district attorney’s office agreed not to continue prosecuting the case.
The shooting happened outside a New Orleans supermarket, court records show.
A statement from District Attorney Jason Williams’ office noted that Dent had been convicted by a non-unanimous jury – a verdict that would not now be accepted under Louisiana law or U.S. Supreme Court precedent.
“After a thorough review of Mr. Dent’s case, our office concluded that — like many convictions decided by non-unanimous jury – his guilty verdict stemmed from a trial that was unfair precisely because one of the twelve jurors had voted to acquit and because of constitutionally ineffective assistance from his defense attorney,” the statement said. “The legal system failed Mr. Dent, and just as significantly, failed the victim of this crime and his family.”
