Man exonerated after 27 years spent in prison

Innocence Project clears Clarence Shipley of murder charge from ’91

When it was finished, the prosecutor turned and spoke directly to the prisoner. “Mr. Shipley, have a happy holiday.”

The courtroom erupted into sobs and cheers. Clarence Shipley Jr. sagged into the arms of his defense attorney because after 27 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, he was a free man.

Shipley was exonerated Tuesday afternoon in Baltimore Circuit Court of robbing and killing a 29-year-old chef in Cherry Hill nearly three decades ago.

He had been convicted on faulty witness testimony and imprisoned at 20 years old. Now 47, he was headed home to his wife in time for Christmas.

“Good luck, sir,” Baltimore Circuit Judge Jeffrey Geller told him.

“Thank you,” Shipley said, his voice and composure cracking.

He had maintained his innocence throughout his decades behind bars.

Shipley became the fourth man exonerated under the partnership of nonprofit innocence projects run by the University of Baltimore, George Washington University and Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby.

In October 1991, 29 year-old Kevin Smith was shot and killed at the corner of Joseph Avenue and Cherry Hill Road as he walked from the Cherry Hill Shopping Center along with two other witnesses. The innocence project attorneys and assistant state’s attorneys in Baltimore interviewed new witnesses who identified the killer, prosecutors say, as Larry Davis. He died in 2005.

“Clarence Shipley did not commit the murder,” Assistant State’s Attorney Lauren Lipscomb told the judge.

Outside the courthouse, Shipley’s family had gathered to await his release. His mother, Ola, told of calling her son behind bars and telling him to have faith.

Still, she spoke of what was lost during those years. Clarence Shipley missed the chance to see his son grow up. Another son was killed in a house fire. He missed the birth of his grandson. His wedding was behind bars at the state prison in Hagerstown.

Mosby said at least one witness lied during his initial trial and that her office was investigating whether to bring charges of perjury.

Still, Shipley held no ill will.

“I forgive them,” he said. “I’m just wanting to go to church.”

AMY DAVIS/BALTIMORE SUN Clarence Shipley Jr., 47, center, now a free man, is escorted from Courthouse East by his lawyer from the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, Michele Nethercott. Shipley was released Tuesday after 27 years in prison. In the rear is Shipley’s son, Clarence Shipley III.