A man who spent more than 38 years behind bars for a 1983 murder and two attempted murders has been freed from a California prison after long-untested DNA evidence pointed to a different person
In this photo provided by Cal State LA, Maurice Hastings hears instructions at a hearing at Los Angeles Superior Court where a judge dismissed his conviction for murder after new DNA evidence exonerated him, Oct. 20, 2022, in Los Angeles.
“I prayed for many years that this day would come,” Hastings said at a news conference Friday, adding: “I am not pointing fingers; I am not standing up here a bitter man, but I just want to enjoy my life now while I have it.” The victim in the case, Roberta Wydermyer, was sexually assaulted and killed by a single gunshot to the head, authorities said. Her body was found in the trunk of her vehicle in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood.
Hastings sought DNA testing in 2000 but at that time the DA's office denied the request. Hastings submitted a claim of innocence to the DA's Conviction Integrity Unit last year and DNA testing last June found that the semen was not his.