George Allen Jr. Released From Prison After Serving More than 30 Years

George Allen Jr. walked out of a Jefferson City, Missouri, courthouse a free man Wednesday after serving more than 30 years for a rape and murder that new and previously undisclosed evidence shows he didn’t commit.

 

Before heading to Missouri landmark Blueberry Hill for lunch with relatives, friends and his lawyers, Allen spoke at a press conference, reported the

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

.

“I have spent 30 years in prison as an innocent man, and those have been difficult years for me and my family, but I never gave up hope,” Allen said. “I knew that some day the truth would come out. … Thank God this nightmare is finally ending.”

Judge Daniel Green overturned Allen’s 1982 rape and murder conviction on November 2, 2012 based on the police’s failure to disclose evidence pointing to his innocence and ordered Allen’s release. St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce announced last week that she would not retry Allen for the crime. Nevertheless, Attorney General Chris Koster filed a meritless appeal to a state intermediate appeals court.

 

The Innocence Project has also called for a review of old St. Louis cases involving the detective who was supervised Allen’s interrogation and the lab analyst who did the serology testing in the case.

“We have serious concerns that this case is not an outlier and that there are other innocent people who are incarcerated on possible misconduct,” said Olga Akselrod of the New York-based Innocence Project.

Read the

full article

.

 

Watch KDSK-NBC’s coverage of George Allen Jr.

being freed in Wednesday’s court appearance

and

interviews with his mother and sister after the hearing

.

 

Read more in the

press release

.

 

More coverage:


St. Louis American

(editorial):

Koster shows cowardice in Allen case

(11/15/12)

 


St. Louis American

:

George Allen released by Judge Green

(11/15/12)

 

Associated Press:

Convictions tossed, Missouri inmate gains freedom

(11/14/12)

 

NPR:

After 30 Years Locked Up, George Allen Released From Custody

(11/14/12)

 


Daily Mail

:

Man freed after serving 30 years in prison for horrific murder when judge throws out conviction because police hid evidence

(11/15/12)

 

MissouriNet:

Accused murderer George Allen released after 30 years in prison

(11/14/12)