After 50 years in prison — 37 in solitary confinement — Philly man’s conviction is vacated
The Philadelphia Inquirer, 08/11/21: “In 2017, Arthur ‘Cetewayo’ Johnson won the right to leave solitary confinement after a remarkable 37 years on ‘restricted release’ status in the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections — an indefinite punishment for escape attempts dating back to the 1970s.
Now, the same legal team that advocated to move Johnson into the general population has won an even bigger victory: his release from prison after half a century of incarceration.
On Wednesday, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office and Common Pleas Court Judge Scott DiClaudio agreed the prosecution’s case against Johnson for the 1970 murder of Jerome Wakefield in North Philadelphia was fraught with false and ‘highly suspect’ statements. The DA wrote in a filing that those flaws ‘seriously undermine the integrity of Johnson’s conviction.'”