Man cleared of murder he did not commit after more than 48 years in prison ‘always believed’ he’d be released
A man who was jailed for over 48 years for a crime he did not commit has said he 'always believed' he would be released.
Glynn Simmons, from Oklahoma, spent almost five decades behind bars for the murder of Carolyn Sue Rogers in December 1974.
He is now 71 years old, having been convicted along with his co-defendant Don Roberts in 1975.
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Rogers died from a gunshot wound inflicted during the robbery of a liquor store.
Simmons and Roberts were sentenced to death for the crime, but in 1977 their sentences were reduced to life in prison.
But it wasn't until last year that Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna determined prosecutors had violated Simmons' right to a fair trial in 1975 because they had failed to disclose a police lineup report to his trial lawyer.
This was hugely important to the case because it showed that an eye witness did not identify Simmons as the culprit.
Simmons' lawyers, Joe Norwood and John Coyle, also pointed to 12 witnesses who testified Simmons had been in Louisiana at the time of the murder.
Speaking to the BBC about his exoneration, Simmons said he 'always believed' he would be released, despite him being the longest wrongful imprisonment case in US history.
"I didn't do the crime, I've always believed that I would be released, even when I was sentenced to the death penalty," he said.
"I didn't have no fear of being executed because I didn't do the crime. I believe in God, I believe in justice and fairness.
"I would be lying if I said I didn't lose my faith. I lost hope, lost faith, a bunch of times, lost my mind a couple of times. It's like a rubber band, you expand and you return back to what it was.
"I've seen guys go totally crazy... I think it was my innocence that kept me bouncing back, kept me fighting."
Simmons says he now wants to help other prisoners who were in a similar position to him and have been 'left behind'.
"I want to help some of the guys left behind, in the same position that I was in that don't have the support I had," he said.
"That's my aspiration for the future, to try and reach back and help some of the guys in the same position I was in."
The 71-year-old is eligible for up to $175,000 in compensation from the state of Oklahoma, but it could be years before that money comes through.
In the meantime, Simmons is living off donations as he undergoes treatment for cancer.
You can donate to Simons' GoFundMe page here.
Lucy Devine