Crosley Green, a 65-year-old innocent man in Florida, turned himself into the Florida Department of Corrections to serve the rest of his life sentence for a crime he did not commit.
In 1990, a jury of all white individuals convicted Green of first-degree murder for the death of Charles “Chip” Flynn, 22. The jury found him guilty of the count of first-degree murder as well as two counts of armed robbery and two counts of kidnapping. In 1991, he was sentenced to death for the first-degree murder charge and 27 years for each count of armed robbery and kidnapping. Green spent 32 years in prison, with 19 of those years on death row.
In 2018, a federal court in Orlando, FL, granted the petition for a writ of habeas corpus which mandated Green be released or given a new trial. During the initial trial, several of Green’s constitutional rights were violated, proving he did not receive a fair trial.
After the trial, new evidence suggests Green was innocent and did not kill Flynn. There was a significant lack of evidence to tie Green to the murder. DNA fingerprints were not found on the scene of the crime, several alibi witnesses that were not present during the trial stated that Green had not been in that area during the time of the crime, later under oath, witnesses changed their stories claiming Green did not murder Flynn and the later work of Green’s attorneys found there was not an in-depth investigation that took place.
In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. District Court Judge B. Dalton granted Green’s attorneys' motion for conditional release due to the health risks. Previously, Judge Dalton had overturned Green’s conviction due to the violation of due process. Awaiting the 11th District Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling decision, Green was freed from prison and reunited with his family once again.
In September 2022, the 11th District Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Judge Dalton’s ruling.
Despite the efforts of Green, his attorney team, and several law professionals, the United States Supreme Court refused to hear Green’s case even though there were several violations of Green’s constitutional rights and insufficient evidence to convict Green for the murder of Charles “Chip” Flynn.
In April 2023, Crosley Green returned to the Florida Department of Corrections to serve his remaining life sentence, leaving his family and freedom at the door. Staying strong and hopeful, Crosley said, "I have faith in God that He will find a way. I believe He will show everyone who is willing to look at my case that I deserve to be free.”
Edited by: Whitney Edna Ibe
Photo by: Crowell and Morning LLP
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