US half-brothers freed after 30 years for rape and murder they did not commit after new DNA evidence

Submitted by Mastodon on Thu, 2014-09-04 17:05

Article here. Excerpt:

'Two mentally disabled half-brothers were freed on Tuesday after serving three decades in a United States prison for the rape and murder of a child that they did not commit.

A judge in Robeson County said that Henry Lee McCollum, 50, North Carolina state's longest-serving death-row inmate, and Leon Brown, 46, were innocent of the 1983 rape and killing of 11-year-old Sabrina Buie after new DNA evidence came to light.
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Following false confessions, McCollum was given a death sentence and Brown was serving life for the rape.

"This case highlights in a most dramatic manner the importance of finding the truth," said Ann Kirby, attorney for Brown.

"Today, truth has prevailed, but it comes 30 years too late for Sabrina Buie and her family, and for Leon, Henry, and their families.

"Their sadness, grief, and loss will remain with them forever."'

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