美国男子被控谋杀入狱45年后沉冤得雪

Judge Drops Murder Charges Against Man Who Spent 45 Years in Jail

A man in the state of Michigan is free this week after being wrongly convicted² of murder and spending 45 years in prison.

A judge has agreed to permanently³ drop the case against the man.

Richard Phillips is 71 years old. He said of his release that the criminal justice system “works – it just didn’t work fast enough.”

A lawyer for Michigan’s Wayne County, Kym Worthy⁴, said a new investigation⁵ by her office supported Phillips’ claim that he had no role in the shooting death of Gregory Harris in 1971.

She said a key witness lied during the trial in 1972.

Worthy said, “There’s nothing I can say to bring back 40 years of his life.”

The case was re-opened at the urging of the Innocence⁶ Clinic, part of the University of Michigan’s law school. It made the request after the co-defendant in the 1972 trial told the state’s parole board in 2010 that Phillips was not involved in the crime.

The co-defendant also said the key witness who lied during the trial helped him kill Harris.

The Innocence Clinic began working with Phillips on his case in 2014. He had been freed on bond since December 2017 and was expected to get a new trial this year. But the judge’s ruling this week means he does not need a second trial.

Judge Kevin Cox told Phillips, “You have seen the worst and best of the criminal justice system.”

Phillips likely will receive more than $2 million as part of Michigan’s wrongful conviction⁷ law.

David Moran is director of the Innocence Clinic. He said no one in the United States has ever served more time in prison before being freed than Phillips.

“His freedom truly belongs to him again,” Moran said.

When asked about his years in prison, Phillips told reporters, “I’ve never carried bitterness around, so I’m not a bitter man.”

As a free man, one of Phillips’ goals is to reunite with his two children. They were just 2 and 4 years old when he went to prison in 1972. Phillips said he has not heard from them and does not know where they live.

Phillips has settled in an area just outside of Detroit. He attends a church where he shares his story with others.

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in This Story

parole – n. permission given to a prisoner to leave prison before the end of a sentence usually as a reward for behaving well

convict¹ – v. to prove that someone is guilty of a crime in a court of law?

bitterness – n. feeling or showing a lot of hatred⁸ or anger

bond – n. the amount of money that someone promises to pay if a prisoner who is allowed to leave jail does not return later for a trial or to prison : an agreement to pay bail

1 convict   

n.囚犯，罪犯；v.使...确信自己犯错，宣告...有罪，使...知罪

参考例句：

• I have all the evidence necessary to convict this young criminal now.我掌握一切必要的证据来给这个年轻犯人定罪。
• It was difficult to convict him of the falsity of his beliefs.难以使他认识到他信仰的虚假性。

2 convicted   

adj.已被判刑的，被宣布有罪的 动词convict的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• He was convicted of fraud. 他被判犯有诈骗罪。
• He was convicted at a court martial. 他在军事法庭上被判有罪。

3 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

4 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

5 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

6 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

7 conviction   

n.确信，坚定的信仰；说服，信服；定罪

参考例句：

• His conviction carried him along in his research.他的信心支持着他把研究工作坚持下去。
• His conviction caused rioting in the streets.他被判有罪，引起了街头骚动。

8 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。