Kenneth Kagonyera & Robert Wilcoxson Released from Prison in North Carolina Innocence Review

Kenneth Kagonyera and Robert Wilcoxson released from prison in North Carolina after innocence review found they were not guilty of murder,after spending decade in prison.

North Carolina Department of Corrections

Kenneth Kagonyera, left, and Robert Wilcoxson were ruled not guilty.

Kenneth Kagonyera, 31, and Robert Wilcoxson, 32, were released from a North Carolina prison after spending a decade imprisoned on murder charges for which they were not guilty. The men were set free Thursday after a panel of judges ruled they were not guilty.

The hearing came after the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission in April found enough evidence to indicate the men were not guilty, including the confession of another man and DNA testing that pointed to other suspects. The men had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the slaying of Walter Bowman in 2000, though they repeatedly claimed they were innocent. Their attorneys at the hearing said the men admitted to the murder to avoid life sentences.
District Attorney Ron Moore, the elected prosecutor who handled the case, said, "We accept the ruling of the court." He said the ruling would make it harder to accept guilty pleas for fear that suspects are taking a deal to avoid longer sentences. Source: USA Today

This is a powerful testament to the fact that there are many people sitting behind bars for crimes they did not commit. That also exposes significant flaws in the justice system in this country. It is not unfathomable that Troy Davis may have been innocent in the shooting death of Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail. He was executed even though there was evidence of reasonable doubt.