Florida man freed after serving 32 years for murder could land back in prison
A Florida man freed last month after spending 32 years behind bars for a murder he’s always denied committing could be heading back to prison — after an appeals court ruled that his conviction should not have been overturned.
Crosley Green, now 64, was convicted of first-degree murder in 1990 for shooting dead Charles “Chip” Flynn, 22, in Brevard County, largely because of testimony from Flynn’s ex-girlfriend who was with him at the time, the Washington Post noted.
However, the conviction was overturned in 2018 by a federal judge who accused prosecutors of withholding crucial evidence — including the fact that both responding cops had suspected Flynn’s ex was the killer.
No physical evidence tied him to the case, and three witnesses who claimed Green had confessed later recanted, the outlet said.
Green — who’d initially been sent to death row, where he spent 19 years — was finally freed just over a year ago, on April 8, after defeating an initial appeal by Florida state.
However, he faces the possibility of being sent back behind bars after the Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit threw out the decision to vacate his conviction, saying that the concerns over withheld evidence had been exhausted ahead of the federal judge’s decision.
As his legal team fights to appeal that decision, Green gave an emotional press conference, praying that “the judge will keep me free and take a look at this once again.”
“Yes, a wrong has been done to me … With the grace of God, I hope it will be straightened,” he said, according to footage posted by WKMG.
“I look forward to staying home, staying free and putting this behind me.”
Diane Clark, then a sergeant who first arrived at the 1989 murder scene, said at the press conference that “things didn’t add up” in the slaying.
“In this particular case with Crosley Green, the truth was hidden,” Clark said.
“To me, that’s a travesty of justice. He spent half his life in prison for something that I don’t believe he did.”
Green’s attorneys are asking that the full 11-judge appeals panel reconsider the decision — and will push for a governor’s pardon if it fails, they told the Washington Post.
“There’s nothing I’m going to let stand in my way of moving forward,” Green said.
“I got family I want to be here for. The good Lord brought me this far. He’s going to continue to carry me.”
