FLAT ROCK, Mich. – The attorney for a man wrongfully convicted of murder said Flat Rock police knew the man was innocent.
James Shepherd, 33, spent four and a half years in prison after being convicted of murder. His attorney said Flat Rock police knew Shepherd was working at the time of the murder because cellphone records and his boss's testimony proved it.
Attorney Wolf Mueller also said the prosecution's star witness admitted he never saw Shepherd the night of the murder.
Wednesday is the one-year anniversary of Shepherd's release, and he's fighting a $10 million lawsuit against the city of Flat Rock and its police department.
In 2010, Jesus Cabrera was found dead in an apartment in Flat Rock. Shepherd and his acquaintance Chris Henderson were convicted.
But a court of appeals panel cleared Shepherd on April 5, 2016.
In the opinion, the judges wrote that, "Police attempts to confirm the story were minimal at best" and that the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office required more than "circumstantial evidence based on mere speculation and conjecture."
In the year since his release, Shepherd has volunteered at charities talking to children. He's hoping to make sure this mistake doesn't happen again.
The Flat Rock police chief and city attorney didn't return multiple calls requesting comment.