DETROIT – A key hearing next week could determine freedom for Mario Willis, who has spent 16 years in prison for a fatal fire that killed a Detroit firefighter, a conviction his supporters say was built on changing testimony and missing evidence.
Willis was convicted of second-degree murder and arranging an arson that killed Detroit firefighter Walter Harris, a beloved 17-year veteran of the force and father of six.
“I didn’t want to be one of those mothers saying, ‘Oh my child didn’t do this,’” said Maxine Willis, Mario’s mother. “I knew it was going to take evidence and facts to bring Mario home.”…