After 38 Years in Prison, Maurice Hastings is Declared Factually Innocent by Judge William C. Ryan

On Wednesday, March 1, 2023, Maurice Hastings was officially found to be factually innocent by a judge in Los Angeles. Hastings had spent more than 38 years behind bars for a 1983 murder he did not commit.

Judge William C. Ryan declared Hastings as “factually innocent”, meaning the evidence conclusively proved that Hastings did not commit the crime. The decision was made at the request of prosecutors with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and his lawyers from the Los Angeles Innocence Project.

In October of 2023, Hastings’ conviction was vacated by the judge. This was the first step in the process of declaring Hastings innocent. The Los Angeles Innocence Project, which works to exonerate wrongfully convicted individuals, had been working on the case for years.

Hastings’ lawyers expressed their gratitude for the judge’s decision. They said that the ruling was a “tremendous relief” for Hastings and his family. They also noted that the ruling was a “reminder of the importance of the work of the Innocence Project and the need for reform in our criminal justice system.”

The judge’s decision to declare Hastings factually innocent brings closure to a case that has been ongoing for more than four decades. It is a reminder of the importance of the work of the Innocence Project and the need for reform in our criminal justice system.