Man freed from prison after exoneration of murder charge

Associated Press

A man imprisoned for nearly 25 years for murder has been released from prison after being exonerated by prosecutors and a California law school clinic.

Leon Benson, 47, left the Correctional Industrial Facility in Pendleton a free man Thursday after an investigation revealed police failed to disclose key evidence, including information implicating someone else in the crime, The Indianapolis Star reported.

“It is so surreal. I just walked out of prison, literally, a few hours ago,” Benson said after a champagne toast with his friends and family.

Benson was convicted of the murder of Kasey Schoen, who was shot five times while sitting in his truck near downtown Indianapolis early on Aug. 8, 1998. Benson was convicted in July 1999 and sentenced to 61 years in prison.

Lara Bazelon, an attorney for Benson and director of the Racial Justice Clinic at the University of San Francisco School of Law, said the case against him relied on the questionable identification by a witness.

“There was no forensic or physical evidence,” Bazelon said.

The exoneration was the result of a joint investigation by the Racial Justice Clinic and the Marion County Conviction Integrity Unit, created in 2021 by the prosecutor’s office to correct wrongful convictions.

Support independent journalism today. You rely on WFYI to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Donate to power our nonprofit reporting today. Give now.

The Secret Service is investigating how a gunman who shot and injured Trump was able to get so close

The U.S. Secret Service is investigating how a gunman armed with an AR-style rifle was able to get close enough to shoot and injure former President Donald Trump at his rally in Pennsylvania.

Public Affairs / July 2, 2024

GOP US Rep. Spartz, of Indiana, charged with bringing gun through airport security, officials say

Authorities say Indiana Republican U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz has been charged with bringing a firearm through airport security. Airport officials said Monday she was charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor. Spartz's office says she was traveling to Europe and mistakenly carried an unloaded handgun in the pocket of her suitcase while going through security at Washington Dulles International Airport. Spartz is a staunch Second Amendment Republican representing central Indiana. She won her primary in May after saying last year that she would retire from congress. The charge carries up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine if convicted.