A Black man who spent 24 years behind bars for a crime he’s since been cleared of is suing the city of Tulsa and the Tulsa County District Attorney's office over his wrongful conviction.
Henry Jamerson was incarcerated for rape and other counts in 1991 in connection with a robbery and assault at Ma Bell’s restaurant in Tulsa. Judge David Guten vacated Jamerson’s conviction in July of last year after a DNA sample used in his conviction was shown to belong to someone else. Kayleen Davis, the victim in the crime, has also maintained in recent years that Jamerson didn’t do it.
Jamerson’s federal lawsuit alleges “egregious misconduct” by the city. His attorneys argue in the lawsuit that Tulsa police coerced Davis to confess that Jamerson was the suspect.
They also argue the DNA sample used to clear Jamerson’s name was locked away in an evidence room for years.
“(Jamerson’s) wrongful arrest, detention, prosecution, conviction, and imprisonment were the result of egregious misconduct by the defendant law enforcement officers, forensic lab employees, City of Tulsa legal staff, and their supervisors,” the lawsuit reads.
The DA’s office is fighting Jamerson's overturned verdict in the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals.
The city of Tulsa and DA’s office declined to comment on the matter, citing the pending litigation.
