A wrongly-convicted Louisiana man died Monday, just 15 months after he was freed following nearly 30 years on death row and diagnosed with lung cancer.
Glenn Ford died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones while listening to one of his favorite songs in New Orleans at 2:11 a.m., according to a statement from his supporters. He was 65 years old.
Ford was released from prison in March 2014 after a Louisiana judge ruled there was credible evidence that he was innocent of murder.
He had spent just short of 30 years behind bars after an all-white jury convicted him of the 1983 murder of Isadore Rozman, a 58-year-old watchmaker who Ford did yard work for in Shreveport. No murder weapon was ever found and there were no witnesses.
Ford requested compensation for his years trapped behind bars, but the state denied his petition, claiming he did not prove he was completely innocent of any crime.
“Completely innocent?” The man had been found “not guilty” enough to be released after 30 years — and “not guilty” is supposed to be the measure justice must make in this country.
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