Two Oakland County Men Spent 25 Years In Prison For Crime They Didn’t Commit
Could you imagine spending 25 years in a Michigan prison for a crime you didn't commit? Two men have been released and now they want to get paid.
The Pontiac Brothers
George and Melvin DeJesus, also known as the "Pontiac Brothers", were accused of raping and killing a woman by the name of Margaret Midkiff in July of 1995. According to Oakland County court records, the two brothers had a solid alibi at the time but were convicted anyway.
A man by the name of Brandon Gohagen confessed to assaulting the woman but claimed the DeJesus brothers killed the woman. Gohagen had the only DNA that was connected to the crime.
25 years behind bars for a crime you did not commit. Can you imagine what the Pontiac Brothers had to deal with in prison all this time, especially being innocent men? The two brothers have had plenty of time to think about all this and after being released back in March of 2022, plan to file a lawsuit.
How Did The Pontiac Brothers Get Released?
According to WXYZ George DeJesus said on the day he and his brother were released,
This is the best day of my life. We are extremely happy and overwhelmed. It's been a long time coming and it took a lot of help and people.
With no DNA evidence to connect the Pontiac Brothers to the rape and murder, the Michigan Attorney General's Office Conviction Integrity Unit, the Michigan Innocence Clinic, and the Cooley Law School Innocence Clinic worked together to get the ruling overturned and to release the brothers.
Pontiac Brothers To Sue For $125 Million
On top of there being no DNA evidence to connect the DeJesus brothers to the crime and the fact that Gohagen failed a polygraph test, and his DNA was at the scene, the brothers will be suing for wrongful imprisonment against the city of Pontiac.
To get a deeper look inside the case and hear from the Pontiac Brothers, watch the video above.
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