Black Man's Murder Conviction Vacated After 17 Years
/An Oklahoma man was released from prison Monday after 17 years in prison. On Wednesday, a judge vacated his 2001 murder conviction.
Salaam Moore was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for a shooting that killed Phillip Gonzales and wounded Doris Wright. According to the Associated Press, Wright initially said she could not identify the shooter. A few weeks following her release from the hospital, however, Wright told police that Moore was the culprit.
In March, Wright recanted her testimony, saying that Moore was not the shooter.
“Mr. Moore did not commit these crimes, and he is innocent and wrongfully incarcerated at this time,” Wright said in an affidavit. “I testified that Mr. Moore committed the crimes … because I was afraid for my life if I told the truth.”
Moore told the Associated Press that he bore no ill will towards Wright for her testimony against him.
“I’m not holding no grudges or nothing like that,” Moore told the AP. “Just let her know that if she thinks I’m going to hold grudges or if she feels like I hold something against her, that’s not the case.”
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