A Detroit-area judge has erased the 1999 murder conviction of George Calicut Jr, who spent over 25 years in prison for a crime prosecutors now acknowledge he was coerced into confessing by a rogue police officer. The Wayne County prosecutor's office and Calicut's lawyers said recent DNA testing further supports the lack of any evidence linking him to the murder of Virgie Perkins.
Calicut, 56, had long professed his innocence, noting there were no eyewitnesses or physical evidence against him. He claimed he never saw his alleged confession until trial. The confession was written by retired Detroit homicide investigator Barbara Simon, who admitted at trial that she wrote it before Calicut signed it. Prosecutors and Calicut's attorneys said Simon told Calicut, who had no prior police interactions, that she could help reduce the charge to manslaughter if he signed.
Valerie Newman, head of the conviction integrity unit, said clearing Calicut reflects the office's commitment to the integrity of convictions. The state corrections department said Calicut would likely be released within hours. He was represented by the University of Michigan Law School's Innocence Clinic and the Cooley Innocence Project.
Calicut was accused of choking Perkins and cutting her neck while stealing money and a phone in 1999. He admitted taking a phone from Perkins' son the next day but said he grabbed it from a vehicle. Despite testifying in his own defence, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole. Detroit has spent millions settling lawsuits related to Simon's work.
