A 53-year-old man who was wrongfully convicted for nearly two decades and finally exonerated was killed during a traffic stop in south Georgia this week, authorities said.
According to preliminary information from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the incident happened on Monday morning around 7:20 a.m. when a Camden County deputy conducted the traffic stop on Interstate 95.
The motorist, Leonard Cure, exited the vehicle following the deputy’s orders. The incident escalated when Cure was informed that he would be under arrest.
“After not complying with the deputy’s requests, the deputy tased Cure. Cure assaulted the deputy,” the GBI’s statement said. “The deputy used the Taser for a second time and an ASP baton; however, Cure still did not comply. The deputy pulled out his gun and shot Cure.”
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Cure received treatment from first responders. However, he died from his injuries.
The Florida native has now lost his life after first wrongfully losing 16 years of freedom at the hands of the justice system. He received a sentence of life behind bars following an armed robbery conviction in Broward County, Florida, in 2003. He received that amount of time due to having prior convictions.
This conviction was overturned, and Cure was released from prison three years ago after the Broward State Attorney’s Office’s Conviction Review Unit in Florida pushed for his freedom, citing lack of evidence. He subsequently was exonerated and granted $817,000 by the state for his wrongful conviction earlier this year.
“I can only imagine what it’s like to know your son is innocent and watch him be sentenced to life in prison, to be exonerated and … then be told that once he’s been freed, he’s been shot dead,” Seth Miller of the Innocence Project of Florida, who represented Cure, told CBS News this week. “I can’t imagine as a parent what that feels like.”
The incident is currently under an independent investigation by the GBI. The Camden County Sheriff’s Deputy is linked to a string of abuse and excessive force cases against Black people.
Camden County deputies reportedly shot and killed Latoya James on May 4, 2021, while executing a raid at her cousin’s home in Woodbine, Georgia. State authorities have also arrested multiple Camden County deputies for the brutal beating of Jarrett Hobbs on Sept. 3, 2022.
The Broward State Attorney’s Office acknowledged Cure’s death and offered condolences on Monday.
“We are devastated by the death of Leonard Cure, who was the first person exonerated by our Conviction Review Unit. The Leonard we knew was a smart, funny and kind person. After he was freed and exonerated by our office, he visited prosecutors at our office and participated in training to help our staff do their jobs in the fairest and most thorough way possible,” the statement said.
“Leonard was so excited that the Florida Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis had recently approved his claims bill,” the statement. “He had been working a job in security. He was hoping to go to college and wanted to work in broadcast radio production. He was buying his first home.”
