FLINT, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan man convicted of assault with intent to murder in a September 2004 shooting has been released after perjured testimony was uncovered.
Bobby Jamar Younger, 37, was released from the Muskegon Correctional Facility on Thursday, years before his sentence was due to end. In 2006, he was convicted of shooting Pierson Hood gang member Garner Wood and shooting at another person in Mt. Morris Township. Younger was 24 when he was sentenced to 32-50 years in prison.
Younger, of Flint, appealed and during another trial, his attorney David L. Moffitt said the witnesses against Younger — including Wood — were rival gang members, which the jury should have been told. He said in January that he informed the Genesee County Prosecutor’s Office of the evidence he found that showed the witnesses lied.
“In fact, during the trial they denied any fact that there was a rival gang, they denied they were members, and it was kept from the jury that one of those three witnesses had already been involved in two homicides,” said Moffitt. “The jury had a completely false picture regarding Mr. Younger and they ended up convicting him.”
Genesee Circuit Judge Richard B. Yuille in May resentenced Younger to nearly 12 years of time served on the assault with intent to murder charges and scheduled him to be released. Younger also had been convicted on armed robbery and weapons charges.
“We made a determination that we indeed agreed that there was perjured testimony used in the trial that assisted in convicting Mr. Younger and we agreed that we thought the appropriate response was to have Mr. Younger re-sentenced to time served,” prosecutor David Leyton said.
While the Younger said he’s grateful for the decision, he didn’t agree with the court process and maintains that he’s innocent.
“The system, it’s just crazy,” he told MLive.com. “You’ve got to really look into this and look into people’s cases before you just actually get to convicting people because you’ve got to make sure you’ve got the right person.”
He said he plans leave Michigan to get a new start.
“I just want to start over and get my life back on track,” he said.
