“A Terrible Injustice”: Destroyed after nearly 40 years

A man who spent 38 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit was able to regain his freedom after DNA evidence pointed to another suspect, who died Friday, the New York Post reported.

Now 69, Maurice Hastings was murdered in 1983 by Roberta Wiedermeier, who was shot dead. It was recovered from the trunk of his vehicle.

Mr. Hastings was originally tried for murder under special circumstances. The prosecutor’s office sought the death penalty, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict at the time.

He was brought back to court and found guilty of murder, robbery and sexual assault. In 1988, a jury sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Although there was no evidence linking Mr Hastings to the original crime in Inglewood, Los Angeles, he was found guilty of the two attempted murders of Mrs Wiedermeier’s husband and his friend.

But Maurice Hastings always maintained his innocence.

“What happened to Mr. Hastings was a terrible injustice,” attorney George Gascon wrote.