NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — After multiple attempts over two decades, a judge granted Arsean Hicks’ writ of habeas corpus Thursday afternoon and vacated his murder conviction.
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Hicks, who was 16 at the time, was identified as the shooter in a 1999 robbery-gone-wrong that left a Navy police officer dead. He was convicted by a jury and sentenced to 80 years in May 2001.
Explaining his decision from the bench, the judge acknowledged that the original case hinged on a confession Hicks had made to then-NPD Det. Glenn Ford. However, there was no forensic evidence linking Hicks to the murder weapon.
Ford was later convicted of extortion and conspiracy and spent 10 years in federal prison . Many of the cases he worked on have since been called into question, with allegations of witness manipulation and forced confessions.
“The judge, in practical terms for our client, vacated the conviction,” Hicks’ lead attorney, Jim Neale, said, explaining the judge’s ruling outside of the courthouse. “So, Arsean’s murder conviction from 2001 is no longer in place. He’s still charged with that crime, and the Commonwealth will decide whether to appeal this ruling and retry him on these charges if they’re successful.”