After 36 years in prison this innocent man was finally set free

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For 36 years, Michael Hanline has maintained his innocence despite being locked up at the California State Prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

man-set-free-years-wrongful

With the help of the California Innocence Project, he was able to revisit his ruling. According to the project, they were able to uncover police reports that had been sealed before Michael’s trial.

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“The reports implicated others, not Michael, in the crime. Further, the police reports impeached the prosecution’s key witnesses. It turned out that a defense attorney and known drug dealer named Bruce Robertson who represented many of the prosecution’s witnesses in other cases, made concerted efforts to steer the investigation away from his clients and toward Michael. Robertson, who is since deceased, had threatened witnesses and intimidated them into testifying against Michael. Further, a witness placed Robertson at J.T.’s home the night he was killed.”

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Fortunately, after additional DNA testing and investigation by the California Innocence Project and Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, Hanline’s conviction was reversed. On November 24, 2014, Hanline was released from Ventura County Superior Court. He was the longest wrongful incarceration in California history.

The 69-year-old man, who spent over half his life imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit, was finally free. So what was he to do first, you ask???

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…he asked for the “burger in the commercials.”

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His wife and team of supporters took him straight to a Carl’s Jr. to get a taste of one of their juicy cheeseburgers. Can you even imagine his excitement after years of the same mundane prison food?

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This is the look of a man who would like nothing more than the taste of some savory fast-food. And we can’t blame him one iota for that.

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