Justice Delayed, Not Denied: Man Freed After 34 Years Wrongfully Imprisoned

by | Jul 8, 2025 | Miami News | 0 comments

man's hand and chains

Sidney Holmes spent 34 years in a Florida prison for a crime he didn’t commit. At 23, he was sentenced to 400 years as a supposed getaway driver in a 1988 robbery. Despite proclaiming his innocence, a vague description and a yellow car led to his conviction.

“I thought I was going to die in prison,” Holmes recalled.

In 2023, after a review by the Broward County Conviction Review Unit, Holmes was exonerated. This year, Governor Ron DeSantis approved a $1.7 million compensation bill. Holmes, now 59, is using his ordeal to inspire change.

“I turned anger into success,” he said. He earned multiple degrees while incarcerated and now plans to advocate for the innocent.

His message: “Never give up.”

Michael Wilkins
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