1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:04,480 Speaker 1: Crime Alert hourly update, breaking crime news. Now I'm Drew Nelson, 2 00:00:04,519 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: a Maryland man who spent thirty two years in prison 3 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:10,680 Speaker 1: for her crime he didn't commit. Sue's former law enforcement 4 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: officials after new evidence clears his name and exposed his 5 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:15,720 Speaker 1: misconduct by the lead prosecutor. 6 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:18,799 Speaker 2: So for me, a big part of this is I 7 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:22,239 Speaker 2: can't help but acknowledge thirty two lost years. But what 8 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:24,760 Speaker 2: I refuse is to have thirty two wasted years. 9 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:28,040 Speaker 1: That's John Huffington, now sixty two years old. He filed 10 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:31,160 Speaker 1: a federal civil rights lawsuit in Baltimore on the fifteenth 11 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:34,680 Speaker 1: is seeking justice from the Harford County government and five 12 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 1: former officials tied to his wrongful conviction. Four of them 13 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:41,199 Speaker 1: are now dead. Huffington was eighteen when he was arrested 14 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:43,559 Speaker 1: in nineteen eighty one for what was later dubbed the 15 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:46,920 Speaker 1: Memorial Day murders. Diane Becker was stabbed to death inside 16 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 1: her RV. Her four year old son was found unharmed. 17 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:52,480 Speaker 1: Becker's boyfriend, Joseph Hudson, was shot to death and left 18 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:55,960 Speaker 1: on a dirt road nearby. Prosecutors claimed hare found at 19 00:00:55,960 --> 00:01:00,280 Speaker 1: the scene matched Huffington's. That testimony was later discredited. Second 20 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:04,000 Speaker 1: suspect testified against him and served twenty seven years. Huffington 21 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 1: was arrested twice. He was sentenced to death in nineteen 22 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:10,040 Speaker 1: eighty three. His sentence was later changed to two life terms. 23 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 1: In twenty eleven, the Washington Post revealed that an FBI 24 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:15,800 Speaker 1: agent who handled the hair evidence may have not tested 25 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,320 Speaker 1: it at all. The agent's report, dated from nineteen ninety nine, 26 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:22,360 Speaker 1: had never been shared with Hoffington's lawyers, a Frederick County 27 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:26,120 Speaker 1: judge throughout the conviction in twenty thirteen. Later DNA testing 28 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 1: showed the hair was not his. Rather than face a 29 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:32,360 Speaker 1: third trial, Huffington entered an Alford plea in twenty seventeen, 30 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 1: admitting that the evidence was enough to convict him, though 31 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:37,640 Speaker 1: not admitting to the crime. He was sentenced to time 32 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:41,440 Speaker 1: served and freed in twenty twenty three. Then Governor Larry 33 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 1: Hogan granted him a full pardon. That same year, he 34 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:47,280 Speaker 1: was awarded two point nine million dollars in compensation from 35 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 1: the State of Maryland. 36 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:52,120 Speaker 2: It's important to note that Joseph Casley was disparred from 37 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 2: the practice of law, and he was disparred because of 38 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:58,360 Speaker 2: what he did in John Hoffington's case. 39 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 1: That's Brian Eldridge, represent ing Huffington. The court found Joseph 40 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:05,000 Speaker 1: Castley hid evidence, lied to the defense, and tried to 41 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:08,320 Speaker 1: destroy material that could have cleared Huffington. John is innocent. 42 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:11,800 Speaker 1: He never did it. 43 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:13,520 Speaker 2: It never should have happened. 44 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:20,960 Speaker 1: John paid dearly for the flawed investigation and wrongful prosecution 45 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:26,120 Speaker 1: with decades of his life. Huffington's attorney, Antonio Romanucci. Joseph 46 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:29,720 Speaker 1: Cassley died in January. His brother, Bob Castley, now Harford 47 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 1: County executive, said the government has no legal role in 48 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:36,680 Speaker 1: the case and defended his late brother's service. Huffington's lawsuit 49 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:40,920 Speaker 1: names the estate of Castley, former Assistant States Attorney Gerald Coman, 50 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 1: and former Sheriff's detectives William van Horne, Wesley Peacha, and 51 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 1: David Sanman. Only Saint Mini is still alive, he declined comment. 52 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:51,880 Speaker 1: Huffington now trains law enforcement cadets and helps people re 53 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:56,440 Speaker 1: entering society after prison. More crime and Justice news. After this, 54 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:06,079 Speaker 1: an Air Force airman dies at a Wyoming base, prompting 55 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 1: the military to suspend use of them eighteen pistol amid 56 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:11,960 Speaker 1: growing concerns that it could fire without a trigger pull 57 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:14,840 Speaker 1: as law enforcement and armed forces across the country are 58 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:18,240 Speaker 1: pausing its use. On Sunday, twenty one year old Braden Levan, 59 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:21,520 Speaker 1: a member of the ninetieth Security Forces Squadron, was fatally 60 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:24,320 Speaker 1: shot while on duty at fe Warren Air Force Base. 61 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 1: His death led the Air Force Global Strike Command to 62 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:30,120 Speaker 1: immediately halt all use of THEM eighteen, the weapon made 63 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:33,519 Speaker 1: by Sigsur used by the US military since twenty seventeen. 64 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: A leaked memo from Monday confirmed the pause was effective 65 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:41,160 Speaker 1: across all AFGSC bases. Each M eighteen pistol must now 66 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:44,600 Speaker 1: be inspected by combat arms airmen. In the meantime, airmen 67 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:48,880 Speaker 1: will use M four rifles. Charles Hoffman, a spokesman for AFGSC, 68 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:51,400 Speaker 1: said the decision was made quote out of an abundance 69 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:53,960 Speaker 1: of caution and to ensure the safety and security of 70 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:57,400 Speaker 1: our personnel. Investigations are being led by the Air Force 71 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 1: Office of Special Investigations and the afgi VC Safety Office. 72 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:04,600 Speaker 1: The M eighteen is a military version of six hours 73 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:07,480 Speaker 1: P three to twenty pistol. The company claims the weapon 74 00:04:07,520 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 1: is safe, sig Sour saying in a news release in 75 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:13,600 Speaker 1: March quote the P three twenty cannot under any circumstances 76 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:16,479 Speaker 1: discharge without a trigger pull that is a fact. Still, 77 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 1: more than one hundred people, including law enforcement officers, have 78 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:23,160 Speaker 1: sued six Hours since twenty twenty two. Plaintiffs alleged their 79 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:27,119 Speaker 1: P three twenty pistols fired unexpectedly, causing injury or death. 80 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:30,480 Speaker 1: Some say the design should include a manual safety sig 81 00:04:30,560 --> 00:04:34,320 Speaker 1: Hour denies any design flaws and blames user error. The 82 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:36,880 Speaker 1: FBI released a report earlier this month about a twenty 83 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:39,880 Speaker 1: twenty four case in which a Michigan State Police Troopers 84 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:43,200 Speaker 1: M eighteen discharged while still in its holster. Though the 85 00:04:43,279 --> 00:04:46,280 Speaker 1: report found no proof of a defect, it said such 86 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:50,400 Speaker 1: discharges could be possible if internal parts of the weapon failed. 87 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:53,840 Speaker 1: Days after the FBI report, I spanned all P three 88 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:57,360 Speaker 1: to twenty models. Other agencies, including the Dallas and Milwaukee 89 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:02,039 Speaker 1: Police departments, have already done so. Sour calls this reaction misguided. 90 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:05,640 Speaker 1: Phil Strader, a vice president at the company, says FBI 91 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:09,160 Speaker 1: testing failed to follow correct methods. He adds that Sigsur 92 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:13,080 Speaker 1: has dropped test weapons thousands of times without accidental fire. 93 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:16,080 Speaker 1: He also claims ICE still intends to renew its P 94 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:19,200 Speaker 1: three to twenty contract. During a transition to other guns. 95 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:22,080 Speaker 1: A new law in New Hampshire, where the company is based, 96 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:26,000 Speaker 1: shields gun makers from some design related liability. A federal 97 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:28,240 Speaker 1: judge is now weighing whether to apply the law to 98 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:31,719 Speaker 1: a recent case filed by twenty two plaintiffs from sixteen states. 99 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:34,880 Speaker 1: The Army, Navy, and Marine corps still use them eighteen 100 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:38,400 Speaker 1: official say details of Levan's death will remain sealed until 101 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:42,600 Speaker 1: the investigation is finished. Levan's commander, Colonel Jeremy Shepherd said, quote, 102 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:46,040 Speaker 1: we mourn the loss of a valued defender, teammate, and friend. 103 00:05:46,839 --> 00:05:49,560 Speaker 1: For the latest crime and justice news, follow Crime Alert 104 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:52,760 Speaker 1: hourly update on your favorite podcast app with this crime Alert. 105 00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:53,560 Speaker 1: I'm Drew Nelson.