The last time Darien Harris walked free, he had just graduated high school.
More than 10 years later, Harris will leave prison after prosecutors dropped murder charges in a case that had relied heavily on the testimony of a man who was legally blind.
“This is the best Christmas gift ever,” Harris’ mom, Nakesha Harris, said Tuesday morning after a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse. “When he gets out, I’ll know it’s real then. When I get to touch him and hold him, I’ll know it’s real.”
Harris was convicted of murder in a fatal shooting at a Woodlawn BP gas station in 2011 and was sentenced to 76 years in prison.
Earlier this month, a judge overturned Harris’ conviction but he remained in jail because prosecutors planned to try him again. On Tuesday, prosecutors said they had decided not to move forward with the case and dropped all charges against Harris.
No physical evidence connected Harris to the shooting that left Rondell Moore dead and Quincy Woulard hurt. The case was largely based on the testimony of Dexter Saffold, who was legally blind and whose vision problems were documented in court records for years before the shooting.
Police originally identified two other witnesses. One of them identified Harris as the shooter but later recanted his statement in court, saying police pressured him to identify Harris. The other witness, a gas station attendant, said he saw the shooting take place and recognized the shooter but it wasn’t Harris.
Supporters of Harris praised State’s Attorney Kim Foxx for taking up Harris’ case and pushing for the exoneration of him and other wrongfully convicted people. Jimmy Soto, who spent 42 years in prison and was exonerated last week in another case, spoke at a press conference.
“She did the right thing and we are so grateful for that, but we hope moving forward it won’t take so long,” said Harris’ attorney, Lauren Myerscough-Mueller. “He’s been wrongly incarcerated, missing family, missing holidays, missing his life.”
Soto and Harris both have plans to go to law school to help for other people who are wrongfully incarcerated, Myerscough-Mueller said.
“I want to pay it forward to help Darien and others,” Soto said. “I know that there are so many more in the system that are wrongfully convicted.”
For years, Harris’ family and attorneys have been calling attention to his case, citing insufficient evidence. Following the hearing Tuesday, Nakesha Harris hugged Soto as supporters cheered.
“It’s like I’m dreaming, it doesn’t feel real,” Nakesha Harris said.