FREEDOM

Two Florida Men Who Served 42 Years in Prison Cleared of Murder Charges

Clifford Williams and his nephew, Herbert Nathan Myers, were ordered free after their convictions were vacated.

A man and his nephew have been cleared of murder and ordered free after serving 42 years in prison, authorities said Thursday. Clifford Williams and his nephew, Herbert Nathan Myers, were cleared in the fatal shooting of Jeanette Williams and the attempted murder of Nina Marshall, crimes that they were sentenced for in 1976. Northeast Florida State Attorney Melissa Nelson asked a judge in Jacksonville to vacate their convictions after an investigation cast doubt on their guilt. “The culmination of all the evidence, most of which the jury never heard or saw, leaves no abiding confidence in the convictions or the guilt of the defendants,” a report from the state attorney’s office said. Nelson’s office said it was the first ever conviction reversal brought by what’s called a conviction integrity unit in Florida.

JUSTICE IS SERVED

After 70 Years, Florida Finally Pardons the Groveland Four

Pilar Melendez