OAKLAND, Calif. — A man who has spent 15 years in prison maintained his innocence during a hearing Thursday as defense counsel urged the court to vacate his 2011 homicide conviction, arguing that hundreds of pages of investigative materials were withheld before trial in violation of the Brady disclosure rule.
The defense argued that the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office failed to disclose law enforcement records favorable to the defense, contending the nondisclosure undermined the fairness of the original proceedings.
The Brady disclosure rule stems from the 1963 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brady v. Maryland, which requires prosecutors to disclose material and exculpatory evidence favorable to the defense…