HOUSTON – A man who spent 9 years in prison convicted of a 2010 murder, may now become the fastest-exonerated person in Texas history, according to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office and the Innocence Project of Texas presented a case to have Lydell Grant’s 2012 murder conviction be vacated, to district Judge George Powell. The judge issued an order to vacate the conviction on Dec. 23. The case will now head to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. If Grant is officially exonerated, he will be eligible to collect $80,000 for each year he spent incarcerated.
“Our office is moving promptly to get him released from the conviction so he can move forward with his life. We believe he is actually innocent we believe the facts have shown that we believe the evidence proves that,” said Assistant District Attorney Gerald Doyle.
Grant spent nearly a decade in prison after being convicted in the 2010 stabbing death of 28-year-old Aaron Scheerhoorn outside a Montrose bar. All the while, Grant maintained his innocence. A new DNA analysis of evidence conducted this summer not only proved Grant was not connected with the crime, but also provided officials with a match to someone else who was already in the FBI’s database. He was released on $100,000 bond just days before Thanksgiving.
That match led officials to 43-year-old Jeramico Carter who police say confessed to Scheerhoorn’s murder when he was arrested in Georgia earlier this month.
"It’s very unfortunate that this happened but we’re looking forward to looking at this case and making sure things like this don’t happen again, said assistant district attorney Randi Capone.
KPRC 2′s Tulsi Kamath contributed to this report.