Man Freed From Prison After Serving Nine Years For Crime He Did Not Commit
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A 29-year-old man who spent nearly the last decade behind bars is now a free man. Donte Rollins was released from Graterford Prison on Wednesday after serving nine years for a crime authorities now say he did not commit.
Rollins was convicted nine years ago for the 2006 Strawberry Mansion shooting that left a 6-year-old boy paralyzed. But the district attorney dropped all charges.
"I'm just happy to be out," Rollins told reporters. "It was messed up what happened to me, but it's over now. I'm going on with my life."
Videotape showing Rollins shopping at the Gallery Mall at the time the crime occurred on January 29, 2006 didn't stop a jury from relying on a witness identification to the then 19-year-old of attempted murder. He, along with two other men, including a cousin, were given the maximum sentence for shooting 6-year-old Jabar Wright in the head as he sat in the back of his grandfather's car.
"Had we had the evidence that we had today, the District Attorney's Office would not have charged him," said DA Seth Williams. He pointed to new corroborating evidence including statements from witnesses who shopped with Rollins, receipts and cell phone records to explain why his office reevaluated the case and decided to drop charges against Rollins.
"This reminds us that we must always be vigilant and must always be unafraid to question our decisions and to question ourselves," said Williams.
Other new evidence included the fact that Rollins' clothing at the time of the arrest, as well as what was show in surveillance video did not match the witness descriptions of the alleged shooters.
"Although it is regretfully painful to the Wright family, justice has been served today," said Marissa Bluestein, legal director for the Pennsylvania Innocence Project. Their lawyers fought to free Rollins.
"Jabar Wright and his family will always suffer for the actions of four men who acted depraved and cowardly," she said, "but Donte Rollins family has suffered as well. He was nowhere near the shooting."
Bluestein called the evidence supporting Rollins' innocence "air tight." She says the jury only heard a sliver of the exonerating evidence. When it was presented to the court through Post Conviction Relief procedures, Rollins got a new trial. Now he is free nine years and 17 days after he was wrongfully convicted. The first thing he'll do is get a clean start.
"I want a bath," he joked.
"It's been a long time coming," said Ava Rollins, Donte's mother. She helped gather the exonerating evidence and has been waiting nearly 10 years for her now 29-year-old son to be set free.
"I am going to buy a tree," she said, "we are going to have a very Merry Christmas."
