MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A Memphis man is suing the City of Memphis and the Memphis Police Department for over $5 million in damages after being wrongfully imprisoned for over two years for a crime he said he did not commit, court documents show.
According to the court filing, Ladarrius Perry, who was 17-years-old at the time of his arrest, was wrongfully imprisoned in 201 Poplar for over two years due to several of his civil rights being violated during the investigation into the murder of a woman in December 2020. Specifically, Perry is suing for false imprisonment, failure to train and to supervise and customary practices, and malicious prosecution.
The lawsuit claims the then 17-year-old Perry was manipulated, misled, and denied several of his rights during interrogation, to the point where he eventually confessed to a crime he did not commit. According to the court filing, Perry was arrested without probable cause. Then, in interrogation, the lawsuit says, Perry was subjected to several tactics that violated his constitutional rights, including:
- Threats, including the threat of sexual assault in prison
- Refusal to allow Perry to end the interrogation, despite MPD’s Advice of Rights form saying detainees have the right to stop answering questions at any time
- Refusal to allow Perry to make a phone call, specifically to his guardian
- Perry being convinced into waving his Miranda rights without knowing the charge
- Keeping the interrogation room at a low temperature, then promising Perry a jacket to alleviate the cold, but only providing one after his involuntary confession
- Threatening to arrest Perry’s 13-year-old cousin for the murder if Perry does not confess
Despite this, the court document says, Perry maintained his innocence for three hours before eventually confessing to the crime; Perry would spend the next two years in prison while awaiting trial, until the charge was dropped in December 2023 due to lack of probable cause…