Larry Sims
Channel: persandels
Date: 2012-01-07

Larry Sims is not just a man.  Larry Sims is a symbol of what is still wrong and arbitrary in a system where men are wrongly convicted of crimes, lose huge portions of their lives and loved ones because of a lie, and then are abandoned by the "justice" system.   
 
One night, over 25 years ago, Larry had just gotten paid and went to a hotel room to blow off some steam after a long week at work.  Larry planned to drink and not drive that night by himself, enjoying a little payday freedom.  Larry's cousin showed up early in the evening with 2 women in tow -- let's call them "Jane" and "Crack Girl".  Larry had not planned to share his liquor so there were a couple of runs to the liquor store by Larry and Jane, the cousin's girlfriend.  After several hours, Larry's cousin brings out some crack cocaine.  Larry would not stand for drugs in his hotel room and in a fit of anger threw the crack out of the room and ordered the party-crashers to leave.  Crack Girl immediately began to yell at Larry, pushing on him and calling him names for disposing of her crack cocaine.  When she pushed and slapped Larry, he slapped her back.  The crashers brought illegal drugs to Larry's room and were now becoming abusive. The party-crashers left.  Larry was arrested a couple of days later for aggravated sexual assault on Crack Girl.
 
Larry stayed in jail for many months awaiting trial.  He finally agreed to a trial before the judge -- the wrong judge for this kind of case. During the trial, Larry's cousin stated that while Larry and Jane were making a run to the liquor store that the cousin had sex with Crack Girl.  The only witness against Larry was Crack Girl.  Crack Girl adamantly denied having sex with Larry's cousin at trial, claiming that the only sex she had was with Larry when he raped her, saying he choked her and almost threw her off the balcony. Larry never denied being with these people.  They were, after all, in his hotel room.  Larry never denied that he slapped Crack Girl after she pushed him, called him names and slapped him.
 
After years in prison, Larry Sims paroled out.  Larry so distrusted the system that he waited to file his Motion for Post-conviction DNA testing until he left the prison.  The case was assigned to the Dallas County Public Defender's Office where eventually the rape kit from the Crack Girl was tested.  The results showed that she had indeed had sex with Larry's cousin.  She lied on the witness stand!  The Dallas County District Attorney's Office decided that this was NOT an actual innocence case but instead chose to agree that this was a Brady violation only.  (Relevant evidence -- in this case -- Crack Girl was a liar - was possessed by the state that should have been turned over immediately to the defense.) The DA's Office agreed to let Larry out of prison but did not agree to his actual innocence.  The explanation that was given was that he placed himself at the scene by his own testimony, and well, yes...the main witness lied.  However, in the state's world this did not mean that Larry Sims did not rape this second girl who lied on the witness stand about the man she had sex with on the night in question - just because the science of DNA did not show Larry Sims' DNA present in the rape kit!  (Take a minute.  Read this again.  Scratch your head.) 
 
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals agreed with the Brady violation only and ordered the case back to the trial court to be taken care of - again.  The state will dismiss Larry's case but NEVER declare Larry Sims to be actually innocent.

Larry Sims wants to be declared ACTUALLY INNOCENT of this crime that he did not commit.  Larry Sims spent 25 years in prison for a crime that he did not commit.  Larry Sims lost family members and friends while he wasted away in prison.  Larry Sims walked out of a Texas prison with a toothache and high blood pressure from inadequate prison health case.  Larry Sims spent all of this time in prison because a woman lied on the stand.  Larry Sims proved through DNA testing that he did not rape this woman as the state alleged in their charges against him.  Larry Sims is ACTUALLY INNOCENT of the crime of aggravated sexual assault, and he needs your help to spread the word.  Please send this story to at least 5 people even if you personally have no interest in Larry Sim's plight.  If you are so inclined, please contact your Senator, Representative and/or the Dallas County District Attorney, Craig Watkins, to let them know how you feel about Larry's innocence.