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Lavonne Hill Conviction Vacated
Today, Chief Judge Patricia Fresard dismissed all charges against Mr. Lavonne Hill and vacated his convictions. The Stipulated Order and Appendix A are attached separately to the press release. Mr. Hill is expected to be released from the Michigan Department of Corrections forthwith.
PROSECUTOR KYM L. WORTHY'S STATEMENT:
"I cannot say whether this defendant is guilty or not guilty of this crime. This is what I can say definitively: Former Sgt. Bates' testimony in Mr. Hill's trial was a pivotal part of his case. No one during the trial - not the Assistant Prosecutor, not the defense attorney, or the judge was made aware of Bates' massive and ongoing criminal behavior before, during, and after the investigation and trial.
"Walter Bates was a serial bank robber who was later convicted and sent to Federal prison. His actions were abominable and fell squarely within the spirit of the Brady/Giglio cases and should have been disclosed to the jury and all of the trial participants. Only then could the jury have properly determined Bates' credibility.
"As a result, it is clear that Mr. Hill did not receive a fair trial. He will not be retried because there is no way in the world that this office would put Walter Bates on any witness stand. Not much shocks me anymore, but this did. I have never seen anything like this in all of my decades of being a judge or a prosecutor," said Prosecutor Kym Worthy.
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