You are innocent
The judge’s words enabled the man to lay down the heavy stone that had weighed on him for the past 40 years
A man who had been imprisoned for 40 years had tears of remorse and joy on his face
The whole nightmare began in 1975 when Kwame Azamu, who was near a convenience store in Cleveland, Ohio, was convicted of robbery and murder at the age of 17
Kwame Azamu was sentenced to life in prison following testimony from Edward Vernon, then 12
He had 40 years to spend in prison Quame Azamu knew better than anyone that he wasn’t the culprit and didn’t break his will to clear himself of the false charge
When Quame Azamu was released on parole and the investigation into the case began again, Vernon, who testified at the time, confessed that police forced him to give false testimony at the trial
Based on various circumstantial alibi and confession of testimony at the time, Kwame Azamu was finally acquitted
The judge gave Azamu a blank sheet
The state said it would pay immediately, telling me to write down the amount I wanted
Then Azamu wrote only one sentence, “Judge, review this law so that your precious 40 years are not in vain.”
Azamu burst into tears of joy, mixed with resentment and relief that he endured during his unfair prison life. One or two drops of tears were mixed with regret and sadness of life
