Rochester man freed after nearly four decades behind bars as conviction vacated
Rochester, New York - Michael Rhynes, from Rochester, New York, spent 37 years behind bars before leaving the Attica Correctional Facility as a free man on Tuesday.
Rhynes' would be the second longest sentence in New York's history to be wrongly served, and he has been fighting to have it overturned since his conviction in 1986.
After nearly four decades, Rhynes finally succeeded, as the two witnesses whose testimony landed him in prison admitted under oath that they had made it up, prompting acting state Supreme Court Justice Stephen Miller to vacate the conviction last weekend, the Democrat & Chronicle reported.
Rhynes then left the maximum-security facility at around 2:30 PM on Tuesday.
The man, now 62, was arrested in 1984, when he was accused of involvement in a robbery of a Rochester bar in which the owner and a patron were killed.
The police claimed at the time that Rhynes was one of two men who had fired the fatal shots. The trial against him was based solely on circumstantial evidence. There were no DNA evidence, fingerprints, or witnesses who identified him at the scene of the crime.
On top of that, Rhynes had never confessed. Because all the charges against him were highly questionable, the Monroe County District Attorney demanded they be dropped before the trial began. But the judge in charge insisted the trial go forward.
After the decision made headlines, two men contacted the judge. They claimed to have been in prison with Rhynes and offered to testify against him. In return, they demanded help with their own cases.
The "witnesses" admit they lied about Rhynes' involvement in the crime
Rhynes was convicted on August 15, 1986, and has been in state prison ever since. A series of earlier legal motions, most of which were made without counsel, failed to convince the appellate judges of his innocence.
Rhynes' most recent application was successful after his two lawyers tracked down the questionable informants and secured their cooperation. One of them testified that he had contacted the public prosecutor's office several times to recant his statement, but he never received a reply.
The case was never thoroughly investigated by the district attorney's office.
During his 37-year imprisonment, Rhynes developed skills an artist, educator, and mentor for younger incarcerated people. He co-founded a theater group, published a book of poetry, and earned a college degree.
Rhynes' sister, Petronia Rhynes, and his daughter, Michelle Miller, broke down in tears when they learned of their loved one's release. Miller was born in January 1985 – three months after Rhynes' arrest – and has never seen her father outside prison walls.
"This will be my first birthday, my first Christmas, my first New Year's with my father on the outside," she said. "I think today is the first day I’ve experienced joy. I mean, ever. It’s like a dream."
Cover photo: IMAGO / USA TODAY Network