Sometimes, we take for granted things such as a warm cup of coffee in the morning or a nap on the sofa. For Crosley Green, these things were snatched from him when, in 1990, he was convicted of kidnapping, robbery, and murder. However, his conviction was overturned in 2018, and he’s now out of prison, where he can enjoy freedom in small things.
After his murder conviction was vacated, the state of Florida appealed and Green has to wait for the outcome, but in March 2021 his attorneys filed a motion for his immediate release, allowing him to wait with his family.
This case began when in 1989, Charles [Chip] Flynn was found shot in a citrus grove in Florida. This young man was out with his ex-girlfriend Kim Hallock, who told the investigators that they had been robbed and kidnapped by a Black man. The story Hallock told, involves this mysterious armed man approaching them at Chip’s truck, around 11 pm in Holder Park, where the assailant tied Chip’s hands behind his back, asked Hallock to hand him over all the money on Flynn’s wallet, and then, with everyone in the truck, he drove to the orange grove steering.
Once they arrived, the man yanked both of them out of the vehicle. Chip managed to get a hold of a gun that Kim got out of the glove box earlier; that’s when he shot at the man and she jumped in the truck at the sound of five or six gunshots. She then drove to a friend’s house for help, but unfortunately, Chip died.
Later on, when asked to identify the assailant out of 6 different photographs, Kim picked Crosley Green as the responsible. This being said, detectives started to notice inconsistencies in Kim’s story, who kept changing small details and so, they pointed out their suspicion of Hallock. Their superior took notes of this, and somehow, on Green’s trial in 1990, this evidence was hidden, and therefore Hallock was never a suspect, but merely a victim, and ultimately Green got convicted. Decades later, this piece of evidence was the one that got Green’s conviction overturned and made it clear (along with Green’s race unnecessary comments during his trial, and coerced witnesses) that his right to a fair trial was violated.
Now it is merely a matter of waiting for the U.S. Court of Appeals to decide. But Crosley Green gets to enjoy time with his family.
If you or a loved one has been convicted of a crime, strong representation for post conviction is important. If your rights were violated during the process that led to the conviction, it is possible to modify the sentence or file an appeal or collateral attack to overturn the conviction with the help of an experienced attorney. Give Russell Spatz a call today at 305-442-0200 to see how he can assist you.