Brooks was finally exonerated in 2008. Years later, he was given a $50,000 per year stipend for his wrongful incarceration. He gave much of it away, and remained living with his fiancee (later to become his wife) in their modest home in rural Noxubee County.
What happened to Levon Brooks?
More sadness awaited Brooks as he was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2013. The man who braved prison, found a way to brave the illness till 2018, after which he succumbed to it. Levon spent ten years outside the prison, living his life to its truest.
Are Levon Brooks and Kennedy Brewer linked to one another?
The cases against Levon Brooks and Kennedy Brewer were linked to one another because of how similar the crimes they were accused of were. In September of 1990, a 3-year-old girl named Courtney Smith was taken from her Brooksville, Miss. home while her sisters slept near her and her uncle slept down the hall.
What happened to David Brooks from prison break?
More sadness awaited Brooks as he was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2013. The man who braved prison, found a way to brave the illness till 2018, after which he succumbed to it. Levon spent ten years outside the prison, living his life to its truest. Who is Kennedy Brewer?
What happened to the man who killed John Brooks?
In 2008, DNA testing cleared another man, Kennedy Brewer, who had been sentenced to death for a nearly identical murder that happened in the same town less than two years after the crime for which Brooks was convicted. The DNA results implicated the perpetrator of that crime, and he confessed to committing both murders, clearing Brooks.
How much money did kennedy Brewer get?
$500,000In 2009, Brewer filed a civil lawsuit against West and Hayne for $18 million dollars. That lawsuit was dismissed in 2014 after a judge ruled that West and Hayne were immune from damages. The Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal in 2017. The state of Mississippi paid Brewer $500,000 in compensation.
Did kennedy Brewer sue Mississippi?
Brooks and Brewer attempted to sue Hayne and West in 2014, but their civil lawsuit was dismissed. While the two forensic professionals were grossly negligent, they still qualified for immunity. The state of Mississippi paid both Brooks and Brewer $500,000 each in statutory compensation.
How many years did Levon Brooks serve?
16 yearsLevon Brooks served 16 years in Mississippi prisons for a 1990 rape and murder of a three-year-old girl he didn't commit.
What does Franky Carrillo do now?
Life after Exoneration In May 2016, Carrillo graduated from Loyola Marymount University. In 2017, he announced his campaign to represent California's 51st Assembly District. Earlier this year, he was elected to the Los Angeles County Democratic Central Committee of the 51st Assembly District.
How much compensation did Levon Brooks get?
$500,000The state of Mississippi paid Brooks $500,000 in compensation.
Where is Dr Michael West now?
Hattiesburg, MississippiWhere is Dr. Michael West now? West is 67, retired, and currently living in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. In a 2011 deposition, West said that he "no longer believes in bite-mark analysis.
Who is Justin Johnson?
In 2010, Justin Albert Johnson was convicted of the rape and murder of the two toddlers and sentenced to life without parole. To learn more visit mississippiinnocencefilm.com and find out how to help the Innocence Project.
What is Chester Hollman doing now?
Chester Hollman, spent 28 years in prison after wrongful conviction, to get $9.8M from Philly. Chester Hollman was exonerated and released in 2019. Chester Hollman settles with the City of Philadelphia for $9.8 million.
Where is Franky Carillo now?
So, his conviction was overturned. As chronicled in Netflix's The Innocence Files, Carrillo is now married with two young children, and remains close with his older son, Theo Arechiga, who he had in a previous relationship and kept in contact with while he was in prison.
How many DNA exonerations have there been in Mississippi?
There have been nine exonerations by this Project since its inception, and those with the Project have spent 3,946 days fighting injustice in the state of Mississippi.
How old is Keith Harward?
Keith Harward was a 26-year-old sailor stationed in Newport News, Virginia, when he was accused and wrongfully convicted of raping a woman and murdering her husband in 1982. The woman told police officers that her attacker had worn a sailor's uniform, but other than that, Harward didn't match her description.
Who is Lawrence Russell Brewer?
Lawrence Russell Brewer (March 13, 1967 – September 21, 2011) was a white supremacist, who prior to Byrd's murder had served a prison sentence for drug possession and burglary. He was paroled in 1991. After violating his parole conditions in 1994, Brewer was returned to prison.
Who is Justin Johnson?
In 2010, Justin Albert Johnson was convicted of the rape and murder of the two toddlers and sentenced to life without parole. To learn more visit mississippiinnocencefilm.com and find out how to help the Innocence Project.
What happened to Brooks in 1992?
Brooks swore he had nothing to do with Courtney’s death, but he was arrested and charged with her murder. At Brooks’s trial in 1992, District Attorney Forrest Allgood called witnesses who testified that marks found on Courtney’s body were bitemarks that connected Brooks to the murder.
How much compensation did the Brooks brothers get?
Prosecutors dismissed all charges against Brooks on March 13 of that year. The men were each granted $500,000 in statutory compensation from the state of Mississippi.
How much did Brewer and Brooks pay for the lawsuit?
The Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal in 2017. The state of Mississippi paid Brooks $500,000 in compensation.
Where was Courtney Smith murdered?
Levon Brooks. On September 15, 1990, 3-year-old Courtney Smith was taken from her bed in the middle of the night. Her body was found two days later in a pond near her home in Brooksville, Mississippi; she had been raped and murdered. Police investigating the crime interviewed Courtney’s 5-year-old ...
Who were the three Mississippi men who were exonerated?
Three other Mississippi men who were convicted in part based on testimony from Hayne also were exonerated: Tyler Edmonds, Eddie Lee Howard Jr., and LeeVester Brown. West also gave misleading bitemark testimony against Howard.
Did the Innocence Project test for Christine Jackson?
DNA testing conducted by the Innocence Project linked Johnson to Christine Jackson’s murder – though evidence from Courtney Smith’s murder was too degraded to be tested. When Johnson was arrested in February 2008, he confessed to both murders and told the authorities that he had committed the crimes on his own.
Who was the kidnapper in the Courtney Smith case?
Levon Brooks, from Noxubee in Mississippi, was accused of abducting, raping, and murdering a three-year-old named Courtney Smith in 1990. He became the primary suspect in the case because he was Courtney’s mother’s ex-boyfriend at the time.
Why did the innocence project get involved?
The ‘Innocence Project’ got involved with his case due to a letter he wrote to them from prison. In 2001, advanced DNA testing exonerated Brewer, who had spent 13 years in prison already. It was during this case that they chanced upon Levon Brook’s mistrial as well.
Who was the person that spent more than half their lives in prison?
The documentary series opens itself with the cases of Levon Brooks and Kennedy Brewer , where injustice delivered through mistrals caused them to spend more than half their lives in prison.
Who was arrested for the murder of Christine Jackson?
In the aftermath of Courtney Smith’s murder, which led to the arrest of Levon Brooks, another murder of the same profile resulted in the death of Christine Jackson. The law authorities did not find anything suspicious regarding this and went on to arrest Kennedy Brewer, who was dating Christine’s mother at the time.
Does Brewer still live with his family?
At present, he lives with his family, hoping to continue living a quiet life. He continues to be in touch with the ‘Innocence Project’ team that helped exonerate him. Through their bitter stories, Brewer had formed a friendship with Levon and was present at his funeral.
What is the Innocence Project?
Years after his sentencing, Brewer got in touch with the Innocence Project, a nonprofit that helps those with wrongful conviction cases using DNA testing. The Innocence Project 's deep dive into Brewer's case eliminated him as a possible perpetrator based on the semen on the victim's body.
Did Brooks and Brewer sue Hayne and West?
Brooks and Brewer attempted to sue Hayne and West in 2014, but their civil lawsuit was dismissed. While the two forensic professionals were grossly negligent, they still qualified for immunity. The state of Mississippi paid both Brooks and Brewer $500,000 each in statutory compensation. Brooks died in 2018 at age 58 after battling colon cancer ...
Why were the Brooks brothers convicted?
They were convicted primarily because of the testimony of forensic witnesses Steven Hayne and Michael West. Hayne found marks on the bodies that he thought were human bite marks. West then confirmed and matched the marks first to Brooks and then to Brewer.
Where did Brooks live?
Years later, he was given a $50,000 per year stipend for his wrongful incarceration. He gave much of it away, and remained living with his fiancee (later to become his wife) in their modest home in rural Noxubee County.
Did Brewer and Brooks get exonerated?
He and Brewer were convicted of separate crimes that were committed by another man. They were finally exonerated when that man was identified through DNA testing, and who then confessed to both crimes. When the real killer was arraigned, Brooks and Brewer went to the hearing.
Was Levon Brooks' life unfair?
Levon Brooks’s life was unfair — incredibly, cruelly, unspeakably unfair. Somehow, against all odds, he still found joy in it.
Did Brooks and Brewer lose their lawsuit against Hayne and West?
Just a few months before he died, Brooks and Brewer lost their lawsuit against Hayne and West, the forensics “experts” whose testimony sealed the two convictions. The federal appeals court found that while the two experts may have been grossly negligent, they were protected by qualified immunity. It was a cruel blow to two men who had already endured far more than their fair share of cruelty.
Who is Levon Brooks?
Levon Brooks is one of the wrongfully convicted featured on The Innocence Files. He was born in 1961 and lived in Brooksville, Mississippi.
When did Levon go to jail?
Levon was charged with capital murder and sexual battery, and charged with life in prison on January 20th, 1992.
Who paid tribute to Levon?
The local newspaper, The Macon Beacon, paid multiple tributes to Levon and it is clear that he was a beloved member of the community.
How did Levon Brooks die?
Sadly, in 2018, Levon Brooks passed away from cancer at the age of 58. The arrests, convictions, and subsequent exonerations of Kennedy Brewer and Levon Brooks will be chronicled in the Netflix docu-series.
Why was Levon Brooks the prime suspect?
She had been sexually assaulted before she was killed. Levon Brooks soon became the prime suspect because he had once dated the victim's mother. Though bite marks were found on the victim's body, Brooks' mouth wasn't immediately examined for comparison.
What happened to Levon Brooks and Kennedy Brewer?
The cases against Levon Brooks and Kennedy Brewer were linked to one another because of how similar the crimes they were accused of were. In September of 1990, a 3-year-old girl named Courtney Smith was taken from her Brooksville, Miss. home while her sisters slept near her and her uncle slept down the hall.
How long did Brewer and Brooks spend in prison?
Though both Brewer and Brooks spent more than a decade each in prison, they were both later exonerated from the charges against them.
What is the Innocence Project?
The Innocence Files chronicles the work done by The Innocence Project, a nonprofit that helps provide legal representation to inmates who were likely wrongfully imprisoned.
When did Brooks go to trial?
Brooks went on trial in January of 1992, and the prosecution relied heavily on the forensic dentist's testimony and the witness testimony from the victim's sister.
When was Christine Jackson abducted?
In May of 1992 , another 3-year-old girl named Christine Jackson was abducted from her Brooksville, Miss. home. Her body was later found in the creek by her home. The police soon focused on the boyfriend of the girl's mother who was Kennedy Brewer.
Where did Levon Brooks die?
Levon Brooks died Wednesday at his home in Columbus, Mississippi. He was 58. His widow, Dinah Brooks, said he was diagnosed with colon cancer five years ago.
When did Dinah Brooks and Levon Brooks get married?
Dinah Brooks said she and Levon Brooks met after he was released from prison, and they married in 2016. She said he was outgoing, loved to be around people and loved to hunt and fish. She said he read the Bible daily and was not bitter about his imprisonment.
When was Brooks released from prison?
Brooks was released from prison in February 2008 after DNA evidence pointed to another man, who confessed. At an exoneration hearing the next month, the prosecutor apologized to Brooks.
