Main content

Innocent man spends 48 years in prison

Last month, in Oklahoma a judge declared Glynn Simmons an innocent man after he spent 48 years, one month and 13 days in prison for a murder he did not commit.

He has served the longest wrongful incarceration of any exoneree in the United States. He was sentenced to the death penalty and that was commuted to a life sentence.

When he did make it out of prison in July last year, he was left destitute and also had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. He's been forced to rely upon money donated in an online fundraiser.

When Newshour's Nuala McGovern spoke to Glynn about what it meant to him to be exonerated, he wanted to clarify he was more than exonerated, he is innocent. So what's the difference?

(Glynn Simmons shortly after a judge in Oklahoma found him innocent of a murder charge nearly 50 years ago. Credit: Nick Oxford for the Washington Post via Getty Images)

Release date:

Duration:

8 minutes