A photograph of Leonard Allen Cure.Photo:Innocence Project of Florida
Innocence Project of Florida
A Black man who was imprisoned based on a wrongful conviction for over 16 years and later exonerated was shot to death during an encounter with a sheriff’s deputy in Georgia.
According to the bureau, based on preliminary information, the deputy initiated the stop on Interstate 95 Northbound, just south of Mile Marker 9 in Camden County. It said that Cure got out of his car and complied with the deputy’s requests until he was told he was being arrested.
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“After not complying with the deputy’s requests, the deputy tased Cure,” per the bureau’s statement. “Cure assaulted the deputy. The deputy used the Taser for a second time and an ASP baton; however, Cure still did not comply. The deputy pulled out his gun and shot Cure.”
Medical personnel treated Cure, who later died, said the GBI.
TheInnocence Project of Floridareleased a statement Monday saying it was “devastated” upon hearing the news of Cure’s death and mourned his loss. It also said that Cure was on his way home after seeing his mother in South Florida.
According to the nonprofit organization, Cure was wrongfully convicted in 2003 of an armed robbery in Florida and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was released in April 2020 following the modification of his sentence, theAssociated Pressreported.
The organization also said that a photo array shown to one of the victims from the robbery contained multiple images of Cure, thus making it an unreliable and suggestive form of identification.
“Based on these findings, the State of Florida recognized that Lenny was actually innocent and moved for his release and exoneration,” said the organization. “Most meaningful was that the State of Florida apologized to him for wrongfully taking his liberty.”
The AP reported that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a claims bill giving $817,000 to Cure as compensation for the conviction and imprisonment.
The GBI said in its statement that it will conduct an independent investigation, adding that the case file will be handed to the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review after the investigation’s completion,
source: people.com
