Louisiana Man Freed in Police Misconduct Case

After spending more than 30 years behind bars, a New Orleans man was released from prison Monday when prosecutors acknowledged police misconduct in his case.

 

The

Times-Picayune

reported that Reginald Adams, who was convicted of the 1979 murder of a New Orleans police officer’s wife, gave a false confession that was inconsistent with physical evidence from the case after officers plied him with drugs and alcohol during a four-hour interrogation.

 

Adams’ attorneys at the

Innocence Project New Orleans

asked District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro to review Adams’ conviction on May 2. Adams was first convicted of first-degree murder in 1983, but the case was later overturned by the state’s high court. He was retried and convicted of second-degree murder in 1990.

 

Cannizzaro said Monday that the actions of the police officers and prosecutors who ignored physical evidence that was traced to two other suspects were shameful. According to the

Times-Picayune

, Cannizzaro said at a press conference following the hearing, “I will not tolerate intentional misconduct on the part of police or prosecutors.”

 

Cannizzaro apologized to Adams, saying, “I offer the apology both personally and on behalf of a much different office than the office that prosecuted you three decades ago, and denied your right to a fair trial.”

 

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full article

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