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Crosley Green, a 65-year-old Black man whose murder conviction was overturned years ago, surrendered himself to authorities Monday (April 17) under a court order to finish serving his life sentence, per USA Today.
Green was originally sentenced to death in the 1989 murder of Charles "Chip" Flynn before it was changed to life in prison in 2009 due to a technicality. The Middle District Court of Florida overturned the ruling in 2018 after prosecutor Chris White didn't relinquish notes to the defense that would've helped Green's case, leading to his conditional release in 2021 during the appeals process.
In 2022, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the state of Florida and overturned the Middle District Court's decision, reinstating Green's murder conviction. Lawyers representing the Black man tried to take to the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, but they declined to look at it.
ABC News said Green spent his last weekend of freedom attending church in Titusville and told his family to remain strong as he returned to prison Monday morning.
His case sparked national attention with many believing his innocence based on several issues with the trial and evidence presented by the prosecution. Two officers who responded to the 1989 shooting, including retired Sergeant Diane Clark, believed Green did not commit the murder.
"I looked for the truth. In this particular case, the truth is hidden. And to me, that's a travesty of justice," Clark, who worked for the Brevard County Sheriff's Office at the time, said. "Crosley has spent half of his life in prison for something I don't believe he did."
The responding deputies told White about their observations, and he failed to hand over these notes to Green's trial attorney. The officials believe Kim Hallock, Flynn's ex-girlfriend, to be a potential suspect in his murder since she reportedly refused to leave the patrol vehicle to see if the victim was alright.
Despite his legal options being exhausted, Green remains hopeful that his name will be cleared in the future.
"There's still a feeling of joy in my heart," he told reporters last week. "I may have to go back for a month, six months, whatever, but I will be coming back home. That day is coming. I can't tell you when but it's coming."
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