(UnitedReader.com) – The justice system does its best to confirm all details of a case and be as fair as possible when convicting potential criminals, but mistakes do happen. Some of them go unnoticed, but occasionally the justice system catches its mistakes and corrects them, as it did for one Massachusetts man.
The court system found 48-year-old James Lucien guilty of murder and robbery. His punishment was life in prison — at least until the justice system realized the man was innocent and released him.
Wrongfully Convicted Massachusetts Man Freed After 27 Years https://t.co/wLPJhZMcj5
— NBC10 Boston (@NBC10Boston) December 8, 2021
The court sentenced Lucien in 1994 and, nearly three decades later, he’s finally back with his family after the courts decided to release him. They alleged that Lucien had shot and killed 23-year-old Ryan Edwards. However, Lucien’s lawyer argued that the court should throw away the case against his client, citing an improper police investigation.
Dennis Toomey, the defense attorney, asserted the meat of their argument was that the jury hadn’t received evidence that could have acquitted his client. Toomey then explained Lucien had never received due process during his trial.
The Suffolk District Attorney’s Office announced that several corrupt police detectives had lied, stolen and robbed drug dealers using false warrants. One detective, John Brazil, testified against his accomplices and received immunity for his testimony.
Edwards’ family members expressed their dismay for Lucien’s release, but Judge Robert Ullman, the judge who cleared his convictions, explained that the family shouldn’t blame Lucien but instead blame Brazil, who had lied and tampered with the evidence.
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