Man spent over 30 years in prison for brutal murder, but there was something prosecutors couldn’t explain when they abandoned his case

An Illinois man who spent more than 30 years wrongly locked up for a brutal murder was finally cleared of all charges this month. He made it just in time to celebrate Thanksgiving as a truly free man. This is such great news, especially when you think about how much time Danny Davis lost while fighting for justice.

According to the NY Post, Davis is now 53 years old. He was originally sentenced to life in prison back in March 1992 for the stabbing death of Mildred Smith in Cairo, Illinois. This information comes from a news release by the Innocence Project.

Davis was let out of prison last November after his conviction was thrown out. But a new trial was still hanging over his head, dragging out the final decision. The new trial was supposed to start in December, but prosecutors suddenly dropped the case earlier this month. They chose not to give any reason for their decision.

The evidence never pointed to Danny Davis

It’s hard to imagine the relief he must feel knowing that threat is completely gone. Davis told CBS News that he felt incredibly blessed. He said, “I knew we would be here at this point one day. We didn’t know how long. Man, it’s just a blessing that I don’t have to go through that.”

The original case against Danny and his younger brother, Isaac Davis, who was 17 at the time, started with what the Innocence Project called “an unfounded tip.” What’s truly shocking is that there was no physical evidence at all linking the brothers to the crime scene,” Danny’s lawyer, Lauren Myerscough-Mueller, confirmed. She stated clearly: “There’s no forensics tying them to the crime, no eyewitnesses, nothing like that.”

Even without evidence, the brothers were put through intense questioning. They suffered “many hours of psychological and physical abuse,” according to the release. Prosecutors pressured Danny by making threats about Isaac’s supposed involvement, forcing Danny into a horrible choice.

Myerscough-Mueller explained what happened: “They said, ‘If you go to trial, Danny will get the death penalty, and he will die.’ So they were at jury selection, they pull him into a room, they threaten them with this, and so they say, ‘Okay, we’ll plead guilty.'” Pleading guilty under that kind of pressure is terrible, but it makes sense when facing the threat of death. Similar cases of sudden death investigations turning into murder cases show how quickly evidence can change everything.

The confessions immediately fell apart in court. Another person, DeVoe Johnson, was also named in the statements. But during Johnson’s separate trial, the judge decided the Davis brothers’ confessions “were not credible” and found Johnson not guilty.

Even with that ruling, Danny was still sentenced to life without parole. Isaac was later released from prison before Danny, though the exact details of his sentence are unclear.

Wrongful convictions remain a serious problem, just like other tragic cases involving shocking discoveries leading to horrifying arrests that expose failures in the justice system. Everything truly changed for Danny in 2018 when his legal team, with help from groups like the Innocence Project, finally got Smith’s fingernail clippings tested for DNA.

Male DNA was found, and it clearly didn’t match Danny or Isaac. That finding is the ultimate proof that justice was finally served here, even if it took three decades. Now 53, Danny is finally enjoying the simple things he missed while locked up. He celebrated his complete freedom on Monday night with a special dinner at Michael Jordan’s Steak House in Chicago.