Detroit Man's Murder Conviction Reversed After 26 Years In Prison

DETROIT — Larry Darnell Smith was 18 years old when he was accused of shooting and killing Kenneth Hayes.

He would eventually be convicted of first-degree murder and felony firearm in a jury trial and sentenced to life in prison in December 1994.

But Smith, now 45, was released from prison Thursday. An investigation by the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office Conviction Integrity unit discovered issues with testimony from a jailhouse informant that they said was grounds for a new trial.

Wayne County Judge Shannon Walker signed an order reversing Smith's convictions. Shortly after noon on Thursday, Smith was released from the Adrian Correctional Facility, the prosecutor's office said in an email.

"After 26 years of wrongful imprisonment, justice has finally been done, due to the incredible work of the conviction integrity unit," Smith’s attorney, Mary Owens, said. "Larry finally has his life back."

Once he was released, Smith told The Detroit News his first actions were hugging his mother and daughter and visiting his favorite Coney Island restaurant.

"I feel absolutely great. Amazing," Smith told The News. "This is a wonderful feeling."

Smith was convicted of killing Kenneth Hayes in the early morning hours of March 24, 1994, in the 2200 block of Annabelle in Detroit. Prosecutors said that during Smith's trial, there was no one that testified that they saw the shooter's face during the crime.

The sole identification testimony relating to Smith being the shooter was based on a gait and body shape of a person running away from the scene, prosecutors said, but there was no testimony establishing that Smith had a distinctive gait or body shape matching the suspect's. Prosecutors said there also was no conclusive forensic evidence linking Smith to the case.

Prosecutors at the time pointed to testimony from a jailhouse informant claiming Smith had confessed to the murder as evidence, but officials later said the informant's information was discredited because it may have been fabricated. Smith denied making any confessions, prosecutors said, and has always maintained his innocence.

The Wayne County Conviction Integrity Unit began investigating the case and asked the court to grant a new trial.

Prosecutors said a new trial was not possible due to the amount of time between now and when the original hearing took place, prompting the unit to request that the court dismiss all charges against Smith.

“We found that the Detroit Police Department’s informant was unreliable as well as the testimony of a key witness," Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said. "There were other issues as well. While we cannot state that this is an exoneration, we are very certain that the trial process was not just.”