Man released after conviction in '83 murder dismissed

LOS ANGELES — A 56-year-old man who spent nearly half of his life in prison for a murder he insisted he never committed walked out of a downtown courthouse on Thursday a free man.

"Today is a glorious day,” Willie Earl Green said as he was surrounded by his attorneys, supporters and family. "I never gave up on this day. I knew ... that this day would come.”

Green was convicted in the 1983 execution-style murder of Denise "Dee Dee” Walker, a 25-year-old single mother in a South Los Angeles crack house. He was sentenced to 33 years to life in prison and served nearly 25 years behind bars.

For years, he sought a new trial, contending that the sole prosecution witness who placed him at the scene of the slaying had lied during the trial. Green would later win the support of the forewoman of the jury that convicted him, and the legal backing of Centurion Ministries, a nonprofit group that advocates the release of the wrongfully convicted. Four years ago the witness, Willie Finley, told Green’s attorneys he wasn’t sure he had identified the right man.

Finley, a convicted murderer and drug dealer, said he had been high on crack at the time of the killing and did not get a good look at the assailant because his eyes were impaired from a pistol whip. He also said a detective coached him to identify Green in a photo lineup.

Last week, Superior Court Judge Stephen A. Marcus found that Green did not receive a fair trial because jurors never heard Finley’s full story, which probably would have swayed them when they were evaluating the witness’ credibility.

The judge threw out Green’s conviction, and the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said Wednesday it would not oppose his release.

"I was wrongly accused, I’m out now, I’m not bitter, I’m happy. This is the best thing that ever happened to me right here,” Green said when he came out.

When asked whether the criminal justice system failed him, Green replied: "The same system that put me in jail is the same system that got me out.”

He also said he has forgiven Finley and the prosecutors.

"You know, that’s why they put erasers on pencils, because we all make mistakes,” he said.

A soft-spoken man with silver hair and a shy smile, he paused to admire the downtown skyline as he soaked in his first few moments of freedom. When he heard a reporter’s cell phone ring, he remarked that he has never used or touched such a gadget. Someone gave him a phone, and when he held it his hands he began to tremble.

"Take it back before I drop it,” he said.

At a nearby hotel, he reunited with his wife and family and thanked them for supporting him. Green, a former chauffeur from Canton, Miss., said he was proud of his achievements in prison, including earning an associates degree and teaching math to fellow inmates at San Quentin.

"I’m a better man today,” Green said. "I graduated from college. I’m proud of that accomplishment. I teach school. I teach men that a whole lot of people gave up on.”

While in prison, he also fell in love with his penpal, Mary, and they married in 1991. He said he looks forward to spending time with her at her home in Chowchilla, take care of her as she battles with breast cancer, and "take it slow.”

"Today, the honeymoon begins,” Mary Green declared.