A Detroit man who spent nearly two decades in prison for a murder he didn't commit was released last year after the prosecutor's office agreed to vacate his convictions and sentence. Gregory Berry, who is now fighting to withdraw his plea, claims that prosecutors coerced him into taking a plea deal that effectively waived his right to file a civil lawsuit.
Berry had been convicted of accessory after the fact for his alleged role in a fatal shooting at a gas station in Detroit. However, new evidence came to light after Berry's release, including an affidavit from his co-defendant Antonio Hamilton, who claimed he had lied about Berry's involvement in the crime.
Despite this, prosecutors initially refused to provide Berry with critical information, including the findings of the Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU), which investigated potential wrongful convictions. It wasn't until a second witness came forward and passed a polygraph test confirming that Hamilton had given the gun to him after the killing, contradicting his original statement, that the CIU concluded that "significant problems" emerged in the case.
Berry's lawyers argue that prosecutors withheld this information from him in an effort to get him to take the plea deal without filing a civil lawsuit. They claim that requiring defendants to waive their right to file civil suits is a customary practice in Wayne County, which the prosecutor's office denies.
The case highlights concerns about how prosecutors are handling convictions tainted by the work of Detective Barbara Simon, who has a history of coercive interrogations and tactics deemed unconstitutional by courts. Despite multiple federal lawsuits and millions in settlements, prosecutors say they can only act on evidence specific to each case.
Berry's experience raises questions about whether he was manipulated by prosecutors and whether he would have taken the plea deal if he had been aware of Simon's controversial past. Berry's lawyers argue that full access to CIU records is necessary for defendants to make informed decisions, and that outside agencies should be looking into Simon's work to ensure justice.
Berry himself believes his case shows why "outside agencies should be looking at Barbara Simon," and why defendants need full access to CIU records to secure justice. He says he doesn't understand how the prosecutor's office can police itself without outside oversight.
Berry had been convicted of accessory after the fact for his alleged role in a fatal shooting at a gas station in Detroit. However, new evidence came to light after Berry's release, including an affidavit from his co-defendant Antonio Hamilton, who claimed he had lied about Berry's involvement in the crime.
Despite this, prosecutors initially refused to provide Berry with critical information, including the findings of the Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU), which investigated potential wrongful convictions. It wasn't until a second witness came forward and passed a polygraph test confirming that Hamilton had given the gun to him after the killing, contradicting his original statement, that the CIU concluded that "significant problems" emerged in the case.
Berry's lawyers argue that prosecutors withheld this information from him in an effort to get him to take the plea deal without filing a civil lawsuit. They claim that requiring defendants to waive their right to file civil suits is a customary practice in Wayne County, which the prosecutor's office denies.
The case highlights concerns about how prosecutors are handling convictions tainted by the work of Detective Barbara Simon, who has a history of coercive interrogations and tactics deemed unconstitutional by courts. Despite multiple federal lawsuits and millions in settlements, prosecutors say they can only act on evidence specific to each case.
Berry's experience raises questions about whether he was manipulated by prosecutors and whether he would have taken the plea deal if he had been aware of Simon's controversial past. Berry's lawyers argue that full access to CIU records is necessary for defendants to make informed decisions, and that outside agencies should be looking into Simon's work to ensure justice.
Berry himself believes his case shows why "outside agencies should be looking at Barbara Simon," and why defendants need full access to CIU records to secure justice. He says he doesn't understand how the prosecutor's office can police itself without outside oversight.
he was locked up for 19 years for a murder he didn't even do, and now it turns out the prosecutors were messing with him all along 
they withheld evidence that could've cleared his name, and now he's trying to get his plea deal withdrawn. but here's the thing... it's not just about Berry, it's about the system failing people like this. I mean, we know about Detective Barbara Simon being a bit of a problem 
but what really gets me is that prosecutors are still denying they did anything wrong 
it's like, you gotta take responsibility for your own mistakes, and let independent agencies do their thing. Berry's got a point when he says the prosecutor's office can't police itself, we need outside oversight to make sure justice is served 
. Berry's case is a total mess, and I don't think he was ever gonna get a fair shot in court anyway. I mean, he's been locked up for almost 20 years, so it's no surprise the system kinda... forgets about him 
. And now that new evidence has come to light, it's like they're trying to whitewash everything and say "oh, we were just following procedure" 
.
. The CIU is basically a joke, and I'm not buying that prosecutors can't act on their own when it comes to covering up mistakes. And don't even get me started on Detective Simon - she sounds like a total trainwreck 
.
. It's all about Berry trying to get some justice for himself, but I'm not convinced he'll actually get it 
. The system is rigged, and sometimes you're just stuck in the middle of a messy situation with no way out 
full access to CIU records would've made all the difference for him. And can we talk about Detective Barbara Simon? the fact that there have been multiple federal lawsuits and millions in settlements and still she gets a free pass is just not right 
. How can prosecutors expect to trust their own integrity when they've got someone like that in the mix? It's time for some real oversight, imo 
. And the fact that prosecutors are saying they couldn't provide him with CIU records because it wasn't "specific to his case" is just not right 
. I don't think anyone should be above the law, especially not someone who's been accused of coercing people into taking plea deals. It's like, if you're gonna investigate a case, do it right 
. Maybe we should have some kind of independent agency that oversees police departments and prosecutors' offices? I don't know, but it seems like something we should definitely look into 
. It's time someone held the system accountable.
- we gotta get behind him on this one.
. We need more outside agencies investigating her tactics and the CIU records being made public, not just left to the prosecutors' discretion 
. This whole thing just reeks of a cover-up 
and berry's experience is super scary because he thinks pros might have manipulated him 