A wrongfully convicted man walked straight into the arms of his mother after being released from prison for an attempted robbery he never committed. Sidney Holmes was accused of being the getaway driver in a crime that occurred at a Broward County gas station back in 1988, and during his trial the following year, prosecutors argued that his vehicle — an Oldsmobile Cutlass — was strikingly similar to the description of the suspect who’d actually committed the offense.
While Holmes maintained his innocence throughout the case, he was sentenced to 400 years in prison. Over the past few years, however, the now 57-year-old had reportedly been working with the Innocence Project of Florida to have his sentence overturned, given the inconsistent evidence used to throw him in prison, to begin with. Shortly after being reunited with his family members, Holmes told Local 10 News that he was sure he’d eventually be freed “sooner or later.”
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“There was no physical or scientific evidence, nor any corroborating witnesses, linking Mr. Holmes to the crime,” the Innocence Project shared in a statement. A thorough investigation into Holmes’ case began in November 2020 where there were noticeable errors and inconsistencies in statements made prior to his sentencing, adding that his conviction had been solely based on a single witness’ statement.
During the most recent investigation, it was also uncovered that there were actually a string of differences between the vehicle used by the person responsible for the attempted robbery to the car owned by Holmes.
The Innocent Project continued that there was no scientific evidence that could prove Holmes was associated with the incident by any means, which further implies that the case was handled irresponsibly and subsequently robbed him of more than three decades of his life.
“The Broward state attorney’s office would not have charged Holmes if the case were presented today,” the conviction review read as a judge overturned the sentencing and granted Holmes his anticipated freedom.
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While Holmes was undoubtedly ecstatic to be released and reunited with his family members, social media users are wondering whether he plans to take legal action against the court for throwing him behind bars for an offense he had no involvement in. As Holmes gave his first couple of interviews after his release, he had other relatives call in via FaceTime — given his lengthy sentencing, Holmes had never even used an iPhone prior.
People are rightfully upset and disturbed about this case as Holmes continues to adjust to life outside of prison.