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Wrongfully convicted: Exonerated Chicago man speaks out
A Chicago man who was convicted of murder at the age of 18 has been exonerated after 12 years behind bars.
CHICAGO - A Chicago man who was convicted of murder at the age of 18 has been exonerated after 12 years behind bars.
The conviction of Darien Harris was vacated two weeks ago due to the star witness in the case being legally blind.
in 2011, one week before he'd graduate from high school, Harris was wrongly convicted of murdering Rondell More at a BP gas station in Woodlawn on 66th Street and Stony Island Avenue.
Defense attorneys have long said surveillance video showed Harris at the scene after the shooting and no physical evidence linked him to the crime. A big break in the case came when witness Dexter Saffold was found to be legally blind.
In 2019, FOX 32's Larry Yellen interviewed Saffold who had said he has glaucoma, but that eye drops help his vision.
"I seen him. He ran right pass me after the shooting and he looked at me because we almost bumped into each other," Saffold said.
Smith's mother spoke Tuesday night, saying, "I'm at a loss for words. I'm so excited. To others out there – don't stop fighting."
More than two dozen loved ones joined the now 30-year-old after he was released from the Department of Corrections, including James Soto who was also exonerated last week after serving 42 years for a crime he didn't commit.
Harris said walking out of jail as a free man "feels unreal."
Activist Ja'Mal Green, who helped Harris' family publicize the case early on, said, "I thank Kim Fox for doing the right thing, but there are dozens of cases just like this still left."
Harris got married in jail and says he can't wait to start a family. He also wants to go to law school and, of course, eat a good meal.