HEARTWARMING

Miami Man Freed From Prison With Help From Journalism Students

An interview conducted by students at Northwestern University cast doubt on his conviction.

A Miami man who had served 12 years in prison for a murder his defense lawyers said he did not commit will walk free Tuesday, after an interview conducted by journalism students at Northwestern University cast doubt on his conviction. The Miami Herald reports that prosecutors dropped the case against Tony Brown—who was serving time for the murder of a man outside a Miami-Dade nightclub in 2005—after students from the Medill Justice Project at Northwestern University interviewed another inmate who said that one of his friends was the true killer. That interview prompted Brown to appeal in September, and caused Judge Miguel de la O to express concerns about the state’s evidence against Brown, including DNA analysis and interviews with witnesses. “It took a long time, but the justice system worked in this case,” said Brown’s defense lawyer Philip Reizenstein, according to the Herald. “And we are grateful our client will now be free.”