TOLEDO, Ohio — After more than 23 years of waiting, Wayne Braddy and Karl Willis were released from prison Tuesday and are now free men.
The men were convicted of the 1998 killing of 13-year-old Maurice Purifie on Jan. 7, 2000.
In 2019, 11 Investigates was approached by the Ohio Innocence Project about their case, and a months-long WTOL 11 investigation resulted in "Guilty Without Proof," a 30-minute special that aired in August 2019.
Our investigation found no direct evidence linking the men to the killing, and both have maintained their innocence since their arrest in 1998. The only person who alleged the men were involved was Travis Slaughter, a man who was given a plea deal in the killing and an unrelated rape to testify against Braddy and Willis.
On Tuesday, a judge vacated their aggravated murder convictions, then accepted Alford pleas to involuntary manslaughter and aggravated burglary. Those two counts, along with two gun counts amounted to a 26-year-sentence from Judge Gary Cook. But he acknowledged the 23 years that they have already served, granted them judicial release and gave both men two years of community control in exchange for their pleas. He then ordered them released to their families and are required to report to the probation department Wednesday.
An Alford plea allows the men to maintain their innocence, but it also is an admission that if the case were brought to trial, the state would have enough evidence to convict them on the charges.
The deal came about after the prosecutor's office reached out to the defense: the Ohio Innocence Project from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. That overture resulted after the OIP filed a motion for a new trial largely based on material from "Guilty Without Proof." When Cook denied that bid, OIP continued with an appeal to the Sixth District.
In court, Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates said it was time for the legal actions to stop.
"Sometimes a case needs to be over," she said. "This may not be the resolution any of us hoped for, but I think it is fair. I think it's just."
Willis addressed the court at one point: "I am ready to work and to be a productive citizen and to show that I am an innocent man by my actions."
Both men walked down the steps of the Lucas County Jail at about 4:30 p.m. and immediately wrapped their arms around friends and family.
At one point, those in the crowd broke into a rendition of "Happy Birthday" for Braddy, who turned 44 years old last week. When he was first arrested in this case in 1998, he was 19 years old.
It was an emotional day for the Ohio Innocence Project's Jennifer Bergeron, who has worked on the case since 2009. When asked why she continued to fight for them for all these years, Bergeron replied: "Because I knew they were innocent." After court, she hurried over to the jail, along with several of her law students, to greet Braddy and Willis.
After "Guilty Without Proof" aired in 2019, Slaughter approached 11 Investigates and was interviewed on multiple occasions. He said not only were Braddy and Willis innocent, but he also was innocent of the killing and that detectives and prosecutors intimidated him and gave him details of the crime in order to convict Braddy and Willis.
Several parts of the WTOL 11 investigation were cited in a subsequent appeal for a new trial by the men. Judge Cook denied their bid for a new trial, but in his decision, welcomed guidance from the Sixth District Court of Appeals. After the men appealed Cook's decision to the appellate court, the Lucas County Prosecutor's Office reached out to defense attorneys about a deal to end the litigation.
The men continue to profess their innocence, but a continued legal battle contained multiple risks for the men. The process alone would likely take several more years to even win a new trial, the appellate court could deny their request for a new trial or they could be found guilty again at trial.
All those options would mean several more years behind bars, while taking an Alford plea ensured that they could be freed immediately. It did, however, end their attempts to legally prove their innocence, unless another suspect is convicted in Purifie's death.
Before making the deal, the prosecutor's office was in contact with the Purifie family about the deal. In the fall of 2019, Maurice Purifie's brother, Troy, said he was convinced by "Guilty Without Proof" that Braddy and Willis were innocent. His sister, Sherrie, and younger brother Cam said they believed the men were guilty.
Sherrie read a victim's impact statement in the court, saying she remains "heartbroken." She said there is no normalcy for the family, which often gets harassed on a trip to the grocery store. She also said there has been no chance to heal and move on with the continuous appeals that have been filed since the men were found guilty on Jan. 7, 2000.
Family members declined to be interviewed before the court hearing and left before Judge Cook granted the men judicial release.
Several people from various parts of the country flew and drove in for the event. There were some concerns that the men would not be released until early Wednesday morning, but those fears were unrealized as they walked out of the jail less than an hour after their hearing ended.
Willis wrapped his arms around his fiancee, Charmaine, and loudly proclaimed "I can't wait to marry this woman."
At one point, Willis also took the time to offer his condolences to the Purifie family but added, "But I am not the man responsible for his death."
Braddy's aunt and uncle traveled more than 12 hours by car from Georgia to get to the hearing.
"There are people wrongfully in prison and my message is to never give up," Amelia Braddy said.
The celebration continued Tuesday night as the men and about 50 family and friends gathered at Maumee Bay Brewing Company. Last week, Karl Willis mentioned he was looking forward to his first post-prison meal, and Thursday night that meal was a simple cheeseburger and Fries. For Braddy, it was chicken and waffles.
Braddy took time to thank not only his family, but members of the community who reached out to him over the years, many of them finding them after the airing of "Guilty without Proof" in 2019.
"Thank you to all of you who shared our stories," Braddy said. "This was my brother you helped and we couldn't have done it without you."