Wayne County Prosecutors Accused of Freeing Innocent Man Only If He Agreed Not to Sue
A shocking case has come to light in Detroit, where a man who was wrongly convicted of murder was given the chance to walk free from prison if he agreed not to sue the prosecution. Gregory Berry, who spent 17 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit, was offered a plea deal that would allow him to serve only five years in prison in exchange for his silence.
Berry's story is one of coercion and manipulation. After being told by his attorney that prosecutors were insisting on the plea deal, Berry was given an ultimatum: agree to the terms or remain incarcerated for life. At the time, Berry was severely ill with COVID-19 and had only a week before Christmas to make his decision.
The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office has vehemently denied claims that they coerced Berry into accepting the plea deal, calling them "completely untrue." However, Berry maintains that he was forced into the deal because prosecutors refused to disclose critical information about the case, including evidence of misconduct by Detective Barbara Simon, who has a history of coercive interrogations and false confessions.
Simon's name was only mentioned during the hearing in which Berry was given the plea deal, but Berry claims he did not know about her controversial past. The judge also acknowledged that she had not been given time to review the file before proceeding with the hearing.
Berry's case raises serious questions about the handling of convictions tainted by Simon's tactics. Despite multiple federal lawsuits and millions in settlements, prosecutors say they can only act on evidence specific to each case. Berry argues that outside agencies should be looking into Simon's practices and that defendants need full access to CIU records to make informed decisions.
The case highlights the need for greater transparency and accountability in the justice system. Berry's experience is a disturbing reminder of how vulnerable individuals can be when faced with coercive tactics and manipulation by those in power.
In a recent filing, Berry's attorney claims that the CIU's records about Simon should have been disclosed and constituted Brady material, which is evidence prosecutors are required to share if it could aid the defense. The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office has denied this claim, but Berry believes his case shows why outside agencies should be looking into Simon's practices.
Berry's story serves as a stark reminder of the importance of a fair and just justice system. He was given the chance to walk free from prison in exchange for his silence, but only because he was desperate to see his family again. The fact that he was willing to accept such a deal is a disturbing indictment of the system that failed him.
As Berry's case moves forward, it remains to be seen how much justice will be served. Will the truth about Simon's tactics and the coercion that led to Berry's plea deal come to light? Only time will tell.
A shocking case has come to light in Detroit, where a man who was wrongly convicted of murder was given the chance to walk free from prison if he agreed not to sue the prosecution. Gregory Berry, who spent 17 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit, was offered a plea deal that would allow him to serve only five years in prison in exchange for his silence.
Berry's story is one of coercion and manipulation. After being told by his attorney that prosecutors were insisting on the plea deal, Berry was given an ultimatum: agree to the terms or remain incarcerated for life. At the time, Berry was severely ill with COVID-19 and had only a week before Christmas to make his decision.
The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office has vehemently denied claims that they coerced Berry into accepting the plea deal, calling them "completely untrue." However, Berry maintains that he was forced into the deal because prosecutors refused to disclose critical information about the case, including evidence of misconduct by Detective Barbara Simon, who has a history of coercive interrogations and false confessions.
Simon's name was only mentioned during the hearing in which Berry was given the plea deal, but Berry claims he did not know about her controversial past. The judge also acknowledged that she had not been given time to review the file before proceeding with the hearing.
Berry's case raises serious questions about the handling of convictions tainted by Simon's tactics. Despite multiple federal lawsuits and millions in settlements, prosecutors say they can only act on evidence specific to each case. Berry argues that outside agencies should be looking into Simon's practices and that defendants need full access to CIU records to make informed decisions.
The case highlights the need for greater transparency and accountability in the justice system. Berry's experience is a disturbing reminder of how vulnerable individuals can be when faced with coercive tactics and manipulation by those in power.
In a recent filing, Berry's attorney claims that the CIU's records about Simon should have been disclosed and constituted Brady material, which is evidence prosecutors are required to share if it could aid the defense. The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office has denied this claim, but Berry believes his case shows why outside agencies should be looking into Simon's practices.
Berry's story serves as a stark reminder of the importance of a fair and just justice system. He was given the chance to walk free from prison in exchange for his silence, but only because he was desperate to see his family again. The fact that he was willing to accept such a deal is a disturbing indictment of the system that failed him.
As Berry's case moves forward, it remains to be seen how much justice will be served. Will the truth about Simon's tactics and the coercion that led to Berry's plea deal come to light? Only time will tell.
. I mean, 17 years in prison for a crime he didn't even do? That's not justice, that's just cruel 
. And now he gets to go free if he doesn't sue? It's like they're buying him off 
. I don't know how much more of this I can take. We need some real change in our justice system, like transparency and accountability 
. This is all about power and manipulation, not about doing what's right. Berry deserves so much better than to be treated like a pawn in a game 
.
This is so messed up! I mean, can you even imagine being in a situation where you're wrongly convicted of murder and the only way out is to keep quiet about it? It's not right at all. The fact that the prosecution was trying to strong-arm Gregory Berry into taking a plea deal just because he couldn't prove his innocence is disgusting. And what really gets me is that they were keeping all this information from him, including evidence of misconduct by Detective Simon, who has a history of coercive interrogations and false confessions. It's like they're more interested in protecting themselves than in seeing justice served.
it's not right at all... and what about the judge who approved this whole thing, didn't she realize what was going on? anyway, i think berry's story is a huge wake-up call for our justice system to step up their transparency and accountability game 
we need more outside agencies investigating cases like simon's practices so that victims of coercion don't have to go through what berry did... also, ciu records should be easily accessible to defendants, period 
. The fact that prosecutors are denying everything just makes it worse... its like they're hiding something and we need to find out whats really going on 
. Berry deserves justice, not a deal for silence 
... I mean, who wouldn't want to avoid 12 more years in prison if you can get out after just five? 
But at the same time, I'm like, how could the prosecution not know about Detective Simon's past misconduct and still be so clueless about it? 
I guess it shows that even with all the laws and guidelines in place, the justice system is still super vulnerable to mistakes.
prosecutors saying they wouldn't have offered the deal if he was willing to sue but like what about justice? shouldn't we be fighting for that too? 
. I mean, come on, if it looks suspiciously guilty, say so 
. This whole thing just reeks of corruption and abuse of power 
. We need to do a lot better than this in our justice system 
17 yrs in prison for a crime he didn't do, what's next? 
. It's clear that justice got compromised here.
prosecutors think they can just manipulate people into silence... like Berry was offered a chance to walk free only if he agreed not to sue... doesn't seem right to me