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Wrongfully Imprisoned Man Exonerated After 16 Years
19 May
Summary
- Brandon Pugh served 16 years for a crime he did not commit.
- New evidence proved Pugh was asleep during the bank robbery.
- Douglas County DA apologized for the system's failure and exonerated Pugh.
Brandon Pugh has been exonerated after spending nearly 16 years incarcerated for a bank robbery he did not commit. In 2008, authorities convicted Pugh of armed robbery and making false statements, based on witness accounts and evidence that later proved inconclusive.
During the original trial, Pugh maintained his innocence, stating he was carjacked the night before the Wachovia Bank robbery. Prosecutors presented evidence, including bank ink stains found in his home and on his person, as proof he lied about the carjacking. However, a recent innocence investigation by the Douglas County District Attorney's office uncovered critical flaws in the original case.
Investigators found that Pugh was making 911 calls from Atlanta to East Point while surveillance video showed his stolen car at a Douglas County motel. They also determined the ink found was not bank dye. The DA's office acknowledged the system failed Pugh for 18 years and apologized for the miscarriage of justice.
Further investigation led to the arrest of one of the actual bank robbers, who confessed to the crime and admitted to stealing vehicles before committing robberies. Pugh was released to his family on Wednesday, finally free after more than a decade.
