Day: October 29, 2022

A Black man who spent nearly four decades in prison for a murder he did not commit was released in the state of California on Friday after DNA tests showed he was not the killer.

Maurice Hastings, 69, had his murder conviction overturned by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office after he was wrongly convicted for the 1983 abduction and killing of Roberta Wydermyer, 30, in the city of Inglewood.

“I’m not pointing fingers. I’m not standing up here a bitter man,” Hastings said at a news conference. “But I just want to enjoy my life while I have it. And I just want to move forward.”

Newly-tested DNA evidence exonerated Hastings of the crime and identified a different person as the murderer.

The district attorney’s office said the real killer died in 2020 while serving a sentence for a separate kidnapping and rape.

“What has happened to Mr. Hastings is a terrible injustice,” Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement. “The justice system is not perfect, and when we learn of new evidence which causes us to lose confidence in a conviction, it is our obligation to act swiftly.”

The district attorney’s office worked in conjunction with the Los Angeles Innocence Project to file a motion to vacate Hastings’ conviction.

Gascon apologized to Hastings that the DNA evidence was not available at the time to prevent his conviction and prison sentence.

“The system failed you,” he said. “The system failed the victims.”

Gascon credited Hastings for pushing his office “to investigate your case.”

“You are a free man today because of your perseverance,” said Gascón.

Hastings thanked all those who believed in him and prayed for him while he was imprisoned, including his mother, who died in June before she could see him exonerated.

“I prayed for many years that this day would come,” he said.

Source: Anadolu Agency

US President Biden will travel to Egypt next month to attend the UN climate change summit, known as COP27, the White House said Friday.

“On November 11th, President Biden will attend the 27th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt,” spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

“At COP27, he will build on the significant work the United States has undertaken to advance the global climate fight and help the most vulnerable build resilience to climate impacts, and he will highlight the need for the world to act in this decisive decade,” it said.

After the COP27 summit, Biden will head to Phnom Penh, Cambodia from Nov. 12 – 13 to participate in the annual US-ASEAN Summit and the East Asia Summit.

“In Cambodia, he will reaffirm the United States’ enduring commitment to Southeast Asia and ASEAN centrality, building on the success of the historic U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit in Washington, DC. He will underscore the importance of U.S.-ASEAN cooperation in ensuring security and prosperity in the region, and the wellbeing of our combined one billion people,” said Jean-Pierre.

From Nov. 13 – 16, the president will be in Bali, Indonesia for the G20 Leaders’ Summit where he will commend Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s leadership of the G20 and highlight the US’ commitment to the premier forum for economic cooperation with countries representing more than 80% of the world’s GDP.

“He will work with G20 partners to address key challenges such as climate change, the global impact of Putin’s war on Ukraine, including on energy and food security and affordability, and a range of other priorities important to the global economic recovery,” said the statement.

The White House said following Biden’s travel to Asia and North Africa, Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Bangkok, Thailand to attend the Nov. 18 – 19 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meeting.

“The Vice President’s participation will underscore the U.S. commitment to economic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and she will outline U.S. goals for our APEC host year in 2023,” said the statement.

Following her talks in Bangkok, Harris will travel to Manila, Philippines to meet government leaders and civil society representatives.

“Her visit with re-affirm and strengthen the U.S.-Philippines Alliance and underscore the breadth of our cooperation as friends, partners, and allies,” it added.

Source: Anadolu Agency