The Tragic Case of Crosley Green
Law & Crime, April 9, 2023: The Tragic Case of Crosley Green
“Crosley Green was convicted of murder 34 years ago in Florida and sentenced to death by an all-white jury.
“Green, who is Black, claimed he was innocent of killing the white victim and refused to plead guilty.
“Five years ago, a federal judge granted Green’s habeas corpus petition and vacated his conviction because the prosecutor, in violation of his constitution and ethical duties, failed to disclose to the defense that police officers who initially investigated the case, believed somebody else, not Green, was the killer.
“Green spent 31 years in prison before he was released in 2021, mostly on Death Row. (His death sentence was changed to life imprisonment due to errors at the capital sentencing stage). The prosecutor appealed the federal judge’s ruling, claiming that since the officers’ opinions were not important, they had no duty to disclose it and that Green would have been found guilty anyway.
“The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with the prosecutor and reversed the federal judge. So, after spending two years of freedom with his family, attending church, going to work as a mechanic, and enjoying barbecues, Green was ordered back to prison next week to resume his life sentence.”
Additional reading:
Grant Clemency to Crosley Green on change.org
Fox35 Orlando, March 10, 2023: One-on-one with Crosley Green: Death row inmate freed but now facing re-incarceration
CBS News, February 27, 2023: Crosley Green, attorneys speak after Supreme Court denies petition to hear his case
