Black Man Wrongfully Convicted of Murder and Locked Up for 26 years Files Lawsuit Against Baltimore Police. Cops Withheld Evidence that Showed that He was Not the Killer and Manipulated Photo Array

From [HERE] A Black man who was wrongfully convicted of murder and spent more than 26 years behind bars sued the Baltimore Police Department on Thursday for malicious prosecution and false imprisonment.

Tarrone Barfield was convicted for the 1997 killing of Terrvon Davis, but police withheld evidence that showed Barfield was not the killer — and that his only connection to the shooting was that he had the same nickname as another suspect.

The Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office agreed that the withheld evidence pointed to his actual innocence, and his conviction was vacated. He was released in October 2023. Earlier this year, the Maryland Board of Public Works voted to pay him more than $2.7 million, plus attorneys’ fees and expenses.

“Due to the illegal and shameful actions of officers of the Baltimore City Police Department in the late ’90s, Tarrone Barfield was wrongly convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment for a crime he did not commit,” said Stephen Mercer, a principal at Kramon & Graham in Baltimore who represents Barfield, stated in an email.

“The City has made great strides recently in honestly addressing and rectifying the harms done by bad actors within the police department in the past,” Mercer added. “We now call upon the City to quickly and fairly come to terms with Mr. Barfield, recognize the terrible injustice of his wrongful incarceration for so many years, and resolve his case in a way that is fair to him and reflects the magnitude of what he has lost.”

A spokesperson for the BPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

His complaint, filed Sept. 17 in Maryland U.S. District Court, brings 14 claims, including suppression and fabrication of evidence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, detention without probable cause and more. He named three detectives and a firearms examiner as defendants.

According to the complaint, one of the officers knew that Barfield went by the nickname “Monk” because he had encountered Barfield in an earlier nonviolent case. When someone said “Monk” had supplied the weapon, officers “shaped the investigation and fabricated evidence” to support the theory that Barfield was the suspect.

They allegedly coerced a witness to identify Barfield using a suggestive photo array that implied he was the shooter.

The complaint also alleges that police suppressed evidence from a woman involved in an argument that preceded the homicide. In a letter to a romantic partner, she wrote, “I know & remember that you are going to turn yourself in.”

BPD is further accused of withholding the murder weapon itself and a report finding a forensic match to the bullets from the shooting. The evidence suppression, Barfield argued, prevented the defense from finding the “Monk” who supplied the evidence.