Three Men Cleared in Baltimore Teen’s Death After 36 Years in Prison
FREE TO GO
Three men who have been locked up in prison for 36 years were freed Monday after being cleared of any involvement in the 1983 slaying of a Baltimore teenager. Alfred Chestnut, Ransom Watkins, and Andrew Stewart were teenagers when they were sentenced to life in prison in 1984. They were arrested in November 1983 for the slaying of 14-year-old DeWitt Duckett, who was shot in the neck while walking to class. A review of their case saw a judge clear all of their convictions and prosecutors dropped the charges. The three men were released from prison hours later. “On behalf of the criminal justice system, and I’m sure this means very little to you gentlemen, I’m going to apologize,” Circuit Court Judge Charles Peters told the men, The Baltimore Sun reported. Prosecutors say unearthed police reports show multiple witnesses told cops about a different suspect who was seen fleeing the scene and dumping a gun. However, NBC News reports that the new suspect was shot to death in 2002.