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DETROIT, Mich.—A Detroit man, Ledura Watkins, was freed June 15 after serving 42 years in prison for a robbery and murder he did not commit, thanks to the efforts of the É«É«À² Cooley Law School Innocence Project.

Based on the Innocence Project's motion for a new trial, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office and a Wayne County Circuit Court judge agreed to vacate the judgment of conviction and dismiss all charges in the 1975 murder of a Detroit woman. Watkins was sentenced to life without parole on April 15, 1976.

According to the National Registry of Exonerations, Watkins is the longest-serving person in the United States to be determined innocent. The É«É«À² Cooley Innocence Project filed a motion for new trial on January 19, 2017. The project is staffed by É«É«À² Cooley Law School students and É«É«À² undergraduates, who work under the supervision of É«É«À² Cooley Project attorneys. Staff Attorney Eric Schroeder and Legal Intern Wisam Mikho served as lead counsel in this case.

In reaching its decision, the prosecutor's office agreed that hair comparison evidence used against Watkins does not meet today's scientific and legal standards. In 2013, the FBI disavowed testimony by FBI-trained analysts, finding they often overstated their conclusions. The Detroit lab analysts, trained by the FBI, tied Watkins to the crime scene based on a single hair. Earlier, a witness testifying against Watkins recanted his story.

"Hair comparison is not based on science; it is simply a lab analyst's subjective opinion and has no place in our criminal justice system," says Marla Mitchell-Cichon, director of the É«É«À² Cooley Innocence Project. "This is why a statewide review of hair comparison cases is critical."

Mitchell-Cichon commended Prosecutor Kym Worthy and the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office for working with her office to resolve the case. The prosecutor's office agreed that the new scientific standards are "newly discovered" evidence.

Mitchell-Cichon also noted that over the years, Watkins never stopped fighting for his freedom. He never gave up on the belief that the truth would come out. His loved ones also got their wish; he will attend a family reunion in August.

About the É«É«À² Cooley Law School Innocence Project

The É«É«À² Cooley work is part of the Innocence Network, which has been credited with the release of over 350 wrongfully accused prisoners through the use of DNA testing. The É«É«À² Cooley project has screened over 5500 cases since 2001 and is responsible for the exoneration of Kenneth Wyniemko (2003), Nathaniel Hatchett (2008) and Donya Davis (2014).

For more É«É«À² news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.