In this image provided by the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, Keith Davis Jr., 31, smiles in a vehicle following his released from prison Friday, Jan 13, 2023, in Baltimore, after prosecutors dropped all charges against him. Davis was tried for the same murder four times and was awaiting a potential fifth trial when newly elected State's Attorney Ivan Bates announced his decision to dismiss the case.
“Today’s dismissal is about the prosecutorial missteps of my predecessor in her pursuit of a conviction at all costs,” Bates said in a news release. “I have a duty to ensure justice for all, not just the victim but also the accused.” whose case triggered protests and civil unrest in Maryland's largest city amid calls for police reform.
“I hope people realize, we have watched a wrongful conviction in real time — and we did not look away,” she told The Associated Press. “Keith survived the bullets because that was not the end of his story. It was meant to be so much bigger.”“Keith is not an anomaly,” Kelly Davis added, saying many other defendants with credible innocence claims remain behind bars. He’s home now, she said, but “we cannot get these years back that were stolen from us.
Authorities said Davis had placed a gun on top of the refrigerator he was hiding behind inside the garage. But Davis said the weapon was planted on him after the police shooting.