Man Serving 400 Years Jail Term Exonerated, Freed After 34 Years

A Florida man serving 400 years in prison for armed robbery walked out of jail Monday, March 13, after a judge vacated his sentence based on new findings that the case against him was deeply flawed.

Sidney Holmes, 57, spent more than 34 years behind bars for a 1988 carjacking near Fort Lauderdale.

In 2020, Holmes contacted the Broward State Attorney’s Office Conviction Review Unit to say he was factually innocent. That got the ball rolling.

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Prosecutors now firmly believe he didn’t do it, citing a flawed focus on his vehicle, a witness identification process rife with bias and a solid alibi.

“The State Attorney’s Office would not charge him today based on these facts,” the Broward County prosecutor’s office said in a statement Monday.

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After his release, Holmes hugged his mother outside the Broward County Main Jail.