Authorities arrested Lemons for the shooting death of Eric Sims over what prosecutors called a dispute over a drug deal. He was convicted at least partially based on testimony by a witness who was an admitted drug addict.
That witness told police Lemons was wearing a particular type of sneakers but those sneakers were not on the market by the time the murder had been committed. Police withheld that information from defense attorneys along with the fact that the witness had not been able to pick him out of a lineup or that police identified other possible shooters.
Upon learning of those prosecutorial indiscretions, Lemons and his lawyers appealed his conviction eventually convincing a judge to call for a new trial. Instead of retrying the case, however, prosecutors dropped the charges because the key witness — the drug addicted woman who couldn’t identify Lemons — had passed away.
Lemons likely could have gotten an earlier release from prison one of many times he appeared before the Ohio Parole Board. However, he insisted he was innocent and was, therefore, rejected.
Lemons’ journey is not over yet, however, as he and his attorneys intend to seek a hearing to ask a judge to declare he was wrongfully convicted. Until his name is cleared that way, prosecutors can re-establish the original charges against him. Additionally, he would be able to collect compensation, potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars.
After Lemons was acquitted, he hugged his family saying it was “like a burden off my chest."
