Glynn Simmons declared innocent after serving 48 years in prison – believed to be the longest of any exoneree

CNN, December 21, 2023: Glynn Simmons declared innocent after serving 48 years in prison – believed to be the longest of any exoneree

“An Oklahoma judge on Tuesday declared innocent a man who spent 48 years in prison for a murder he did not commit – believed to be the longest amount of time served by anyone wrongfully convicted in the United States.

“‘This is a day we’ve been waiting on for a long, long time. It finally came,’ Glynn Simmons, 70, told reporters, according to local news outlet KFOR, after the hearing where an Oklahoma County District Court judge issued an order formally declaring him innocent.

“‘We can say justice was done today, finally,’ he said. ‘And I’m happy.’

“Simmons served 48 years, one month and 18 days following his conviction, earning him a grim distinction: He served the longest wrongful incarceration of any exoneree in the US, according to the National Registry of Exonerations. The average length of a wrongful incarceration is just over nine years, per the registry, which tracks and catalogs exonerations going back to 1989.

“…In the meantime, Simmons is seeking financial help through a GoFundMe – his only source of income after nearly five decades during which he was unable to gain skills he could use to make a living, Norwood said. On top of that, Simmons has been diagnosed with stage four cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy.

“‘Between his medical condition and being 70 years old and (having) the ability to provide for himself robbed from him,’ Norwood said, ‘he needs help from people.’”

Additional reading:

Glynn Simmons’ GoFundMe

The National Registry of Exonerations: Glynn Simmons