Man Serving 400 Years Jail Term Exonerated, Freed After 34 Years

A Florida man serving 400 years in prison for armed robbery walked out of jail Monday, March 13, after a judge vacated his sentence based on new findings that the case against him was deeply flawed.

Sidney Holmes, 57, spent more than 34 years behind bars for a 1988 carjacking near Fort Lauderdale.

In 2020, Holmes contacted the Broward State Attorney’s Office Conviction Review Unit to say he was factually innocent. That got the ball rolling.

Prosecutors now firmly believe he didn’t do it, citing a flawed focus on his vehicle, a witness identification process rife with bias and a solid alibi.

“The State Attorney’s Office would not charge him today based on these facts,” the Broward County prosecutor’s office said in a statement Monday.

After his release, Holmes hugged his mother outside the Broward County Main Jail.