A Louisiana man convicted of raping his six-year-old stepdaughter in 1994 is now free after both he and the victim long claimed he did not commit the heinous crime.
Patrick Brown, 49, was found guilty based on testimony from adults who stated “what they believed” the victim had said, according to Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams.
Brown was released by Criminal District Court Judge Calvin Johnson on Monday after 29 years in the maximum-security Louisiana State Penitentiary.
The victim, who has only been publicly identified as ‘LB’, has never testified and has said for more than 20 years that Brown is innocent.
Williams, in a statement, admitted that “the evidence corroborated the victim’s account.”
Patrick Brown (center of photo), 49, was convicted based on adult testimony stating “what they believed” the victim had said, according to Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams.
LB spoke in court when Johnson signed the release order for his stepfather, whom he later hugged as he apologized for what had happened.
“Thanks for finally listening,” he said, according to NOLA.com. ‘Thank you for listening. … Thank you for helping our family heal. Thank you for bringing my father back to me.
She claimed to have written over 100 letters arguing her stepfather’s innocence and claiming that she had been sexually abused by another family member and even bragged about doing so at the time.
In a statement to DailyMail.com, Orians criticized the state’s unwillingness to listen to the victim.
“Patrick Brown’s conviction should have been reconsidered more than 20 years ago, the first time the victim tried to bring to the attention of the state that the wrong man was in prison,” he said.
“Ignoring her only compounded the trauma she has endured and made the State part of inflicting that damage. I commend the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office for taking this young woman seriously, instead of going down the same path as her predecessors and refusing to listen,” Orians added.
She praised the attorney from the DA’s office’s civil rights division, calling him “the only prosecutors I’ve worked with in Louisiana who really take the admonition to ‘do justice’ to heart, and that should concern all of us.” .
Orians said that while Brown never gave up hope, something special happened that allowed him to walk free.
Brown was released by Criminal District Court Judge Calvin Johnson on Monday after 29 years in the maximum-security Louisiana State Penitentiary.
Brown shakes hands and greets supporters as he walks to his freedom.
“Patrick Brown’s conviction should have been reconsidered more than 20 years ago, the first time the victim tried to bring to the state’s attention that the wrong man was in prison,” said Brown’s attorney, Kelly Orians.
“He told someone, ‘This is not like winning the lottery, this is an act of Jesus Christ,'” he told NBC News. “He said he never gave up hope that this would happen, largely because of his faith in God.”
Williams investigated the case after being elected district attorney in 2020.
He said he was upset that the victim had never been heard by the criminal justice system.
“Hearing and engaging victims and survivors of sexual assault is a top priority in this office,” Williams said.
“It’s incredibly disheartening to know that this woman was dismissed and ignored, no matter how inconvenient her truth, when all she wanted was to hold the real offender accountable.”
Orians’ statement noted that there was still great harm done to the victim in this case.
“While the right decision was made today, and there is reason to celebrate, it will never make up for the pain and loss that Mr. Brown, his stepdaughter and their family have suffered over the past three decades.”
At the time of the original trial, prosecutors wanted the victim, then just seven, to testify, but she was removed from the stand after a nosebleed when asked if she understood the consequences of lying at trial, The Guardian reported.
Ultimately, prosecutors called the testimony of the adults in the 1990s “probative but not conclusive” and officially hearsay.
At the time of the original trial, prosecutors wanted the victim, then just seven, to testify, but she was removed from the stand after a nosebleed when asked if she understood the consequences of lying at trial.
“When someone is wrongfully convicted, it is not only an injustice to the person who had years of their life stolen from them, but it is also an injustice to the victim and the people of New Orleans because the true perpetrator is allowed to hurt others. Williams said. aggregate.
Brown has spent the first two days of his freedom making up for lost time with his family.
“Really, they’re just focused on spending time together and making up for the last three decades of not being able to be together,” Orians said.
He noted that discovering modern technology has been the most difficult challenge in learning to live free in 2023.
‘All of it. Everything between cell phones, computers, hybrid cars, electric vehicles, debit and credit cards, everything is very overwhelming and completely new to him,” added Orians.
