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Man freed by UB Innocence Project died in March, school says
Heather Cobun//Daily Record Legal Affairs Writer//April 25, 2017
Man freed by UB Innocence Project died in March, school says
A Baltimore man exonerated last year after 18 years in jail for murder has died.
Malcolm Jabbar Bryant was 23 when he was charged with the murder of Toni Bullock, who was fatally stabbed Nov. 20, 1998. New DNA evidence last May exonerated Bryant, who was represented by the Innocence Project Clinic at the University of Baltimore School of Law. Michele Nethercott, the clinic’s director, worked on Bryant’s case for eight years.
The law school, citing an online funeral notice, announced Tuesday that Bryant died March 8, less than one year after his release. He was 42.
Bryant was convicted of first-degree murder in 1999 and sentenced to life in prison plus 10 years. He was identified in a photo array by Bullock’s friend, who was with her when she was assaulted by the killer but managed to escape.
Prosecutors reopened the investigation into Bullock’s murder and re-interviewed witnesses, experts and others involved in the case. Testing on DNA found on Bullock’s shirt near the wound and on her fingernail clippings was found not to be Bryant’s.
At a hearing last May, Bryant’s conviction was vacated and the charges were dismissed. He was released May 11.
In a television interview that night, the UB blog reports Bryant offered hope to other wrongfully convicted prisoners: “Don’t give up. An angel is coming.”
Bryant also spoke at the school’s symposium on wrongful convictions in September.
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