A black man wrongfully convicted of murder spent almost 43 years of his life in prison and is ineligible to receive one penny for his time. This injustice is thanks to a Florida law absolving the state from repaying those with certain past convictions, according to The Florida Times-Union. Florida law stipulates that those who are wrongfully convicted are eligible to receive $50,000 for every year they were incarcerated, with some limits, unless the person has otherwise been convicted of a violent felony or has more than one nonviolent felony conviction. This means that although Clifford Williams and his nephew, Nathan Myers, were both cleared in the shooting death of Jeanette Williams, only Myers can receive compensation for his time in prison because Williams was convicted of attempted arson at 19 years old and attempted burglary four years after that, according to CBS News.
Williams is now trying to get legislation passed that would allow him to collect the $2.15 million he would otherwise be owed if not for what's known as the “clean hands” provision. The state House bill passed the Civil Justice Subcommittee unanimously Wednesday, and a Senate version of the bill is set to go before the Judiciary Committee Tuesday. Chairman Bob Rommel told Williams Wednesday during the Civil Justice Subcommittee meeting: “I want to apologize on behalf of the state of Florida. We can never give back your time.”
Although Myers and Williams maintained since the start of the case against them that they did not commit the murder of Jeannette Williams on May 2, 1976, they were both convicted following little effort from law enforcement to find evidence that would exonerate the men, according to the Innocence Project of Florida. On the night of the murder, gunfire attracted several neighbors and friends, including Myers and Williams, who were attending a birthday party in the area. “Despite their alibis of being at the party when the gunshots rang out, a fact confirmed by 45 party-goers, both men were arrested by police just hours after the shooting,” the Florida Innocence Project said. After a joint trial that ended in a mistrial, prosecutors took a second swing at prosecuting Myers and Williams and in that trial, prosecutors built their entire case on the testimony of Jeannette Williams’ partner Nina Marshall. She was also shot in the attack, which occurred as both slept in their home. Both men were sentenced to life in prison after a two-day trial, but a judge overrode that in Williams’ case and instead handed him a death sentence. At the time, he was 34 years old and Myers was 18 years old. When they were released from prison, Myers was 60, and Williams was 76.
The only reason Myers and Williams are now free is that Myers advocated for both of them years later with a 2017 letter to prosecutors asking for assistance with a review of his case. Though it didn’t trigger an investigation immediately, the letter eventually led to a 73-page report from Florida State Attorney Melissa Nelson's newly created Conviction Integrity Review unit, proving that the convicted men were innocent. In the investigation, officials determined that the men had an incompetent defense team. “Defense counsel waived opening statements, presented no witnesses, and entered no evidence,” officials said in the report. “This poor strategy amounted to an ineffective assistance of defense counsel.”
The report led to Circuit Judge Angela Cox deciding on March 28, 2019, to free Myers and Williams. “There is no credible evidence of guilt, and likewise there is substantial credible evidence to find these men are innocent,” authorities said.
Myers thanked the Florida Innocence Project and the Florida state attorney in a news release from the nonprofit. “I lost almost forty-three years of my life that I can never get back. But I’m looking ahead and will focus on enjoying my freedom with my family,” he said.