A man who spent 15 years in prison for murder had his conviction erased completely Tuesday after the prosecutor’s office determined he did not receive a fair trial. Juwan Deering, 50, has been in prison since 2006 after he was convicted of starting a fire in Royal Oak Township that killed five children, according to the Associated Press.
However, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald says evidence not shared during the original trial and other factors made it clear that the case was not handled properly and Deering should not have been convicted at the time. “We now know that Mr. Deering did not get a fair trial,” McDonald told Judge Jeffrey Matis.
McDonald said critical evidence was “buried in files in my office” and that evidence would have cast doubt on the case at the time.