After 30 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, James Langhorne has found freedom due to diligent efforts by the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) and the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project (MAIP). State's Attorney Ivan J. Bates, alongside CIU, announced the vacatur of Langhorne's conviction, highlighting the occurrence of an egregious error within the justice system.

Langhorne's ordeal began with the fatal shooting of Lawrence Jones on November 20, 1993, which led to a flawed investigation, hinging on unreliable testimony and incentives for witnesses to lie. In a statement detailed by the Office of the State's Attorney, Bates expressed the office's duty "to pursue justice in all its forms," acknowledging the system's failure that implicated Langhorne. The same statement declared the need to correct past convictions that lack integrity and ensure that victims' families see the true perpetrators brought to justice.

Langhorne's conviction rested on dubious eyewitness testimonies and a jailhouse informant's questionable information. However, the CIU's detailed investigation confirmed that these elements were far from reliable after a rigorous reinvestigation involving interviews and a review of all evidence.

An investigation that lasted five years has disassembled Mr. Langhorne's case, revealing that his life sentence plus 20 years was based on unfounded grounds. In an interview, Shawn Armbrust, Executive Director of MAIP, praised the State Attorney's commitment to correcting this injustice. The new evidence, which includes recanted testimonies, played a pivotal role in the legal turnaround.