A man who spent 11 years in prison for a series of armed robberies in Los Angeles that he didn't commit has been exonerated.
Ruben Martinez Jr. walked free from Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday after prosecutors reviewed his unwavering claim of innocence and agreed that he had been wrongly convicted.
District Attorney Jackie Lacey apologised to Martinez for the injustice that led to a 47-year prison sentence.
Martinez had been convicted of five robberies at the same auto paint shop from 2005 to 2007. He saw five appeals rejected.
His wife and a former detective with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department prevailed on the district attorney's conviction review unit to track down alibi witnesses, who said that he was at work and couldn't have committed the crimes.
Published 13 November 2019, 07:31 IST