A man who was locked up for 17 years for a crime he did not commit, died during a robbery. 40-year-old Alprentiss Nash of Chicago, Illinois, served 17 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. Now, 3 years after his release, he was shot and killed. Police believe that Nash was shot during a drug deal gone bad. WWWN reports:
Police recovered two weapons at the crime scene, one that belonged to the suspect and the other to Nash. Nash, a former drug dealer, was convicted in 1995 for robbing and murdering a man. He was sentenced to 80 years in prison, but he always maintained his innocence, saying that he had an alibi because he was selling drugs at the time the victim was shot.
He was released 3 year ago, after DNA testing on a ski mask found at the crime scene did not match to him. The state agreed to give Nash a certificate of innocence and $250,000 as compassion for taking 17 years of his life. Nash was jailed when he was 19 years old and he was released at age 36. After his release, Nash went to culinary school and became a certified chef.
His family plans to pursue a federal civil rights case against the City of Chicago and the police department. The lawsuit accuses the officers of coercing witnesses to identify Nash as the murderer despite the lack of any physical evidence.
