TOLEDO, Ohio — A simple one-sentence order from Lucas County Common Pleas Court Judge Gary Cook on Wednesday ended a decades-long legal battle for a Toledo man.
Cook's order read: "For good cause and upon the recommendation of the Lucas County Adult Probation Department, community control granted Wayne Braddy on March 28, 2023 is ordered terminated early."
Braddy and friend Karl Willis were the subject of 11 Investigates' 2019 "Guilty without Proof" report. Braddy and Willis were convicted of a 1998 murder of a Toledo teen, but the men have always claimed they had nothing to do with the killing.
The 11 Investigates team found multiple issues with the conviction, and the state's key witness, Travis Slaughter, came forward to WTOL 11 to say he lied about the men and that he told police they were involved because of a fight the men had over clothing that Slaughter had stolen.
The Ohio Innocence Project used large portions of "Guilty without Proof" in a motion for a new trial. Early last year, Prosecutor Julia Bates agreed to end the state's fight against the men's bid for freedom, allowing them to make an Alford plea to a lesser charge in exchange for immediate freedom. Ohio Supreme Court Justice Michael Donnelly held up the Alford plea as a classic example of a dark plea, saying it was the equivalent of holding a gun to the men's head so that the men would make efforts to prove their innocence.
At a hearing on March 28, Cook accepted the Alford plea, sentenced them to time served and placed them on community control for two years. A short time after the hearing, Braddy and Willis walked out the doors of the Lucas County Jail into the arms of jubilant family and friends.
In his decision on Wednesday, Cook acknowledged the efforts Braddy has made to rebuild his life and to stay out of trouble. His probation was ended about a year early, meaning that for the first time in more than 25 years, he is truly a free man.
Braddy provided the following statement: "Thank you to everyone at WTOL who supported us, the OIP, family and friends. On top of that, I'd like to thank my newfound love, Latoya, who's been a big inspiration and ray of sunshine in my life. This experience has given me humbleness and helped me to view life from a better perspective. I'm so much more grateful and appreciative of the simplicities in life. I can truly say that I'm happy and at peace. I feel like I'm finally able to turn the page to a new chapter. I hope that my story can inspire others to continue pursuing their goals."
During the past year, Braddy has stayed in touch with WTOL 11, sharing his joy of earning his driver's license and his frustration of trying to land a job. His efforts paid off and he is working at a local factory.
Willis has married in the past year and is still on probation.