Man walks free after 29 years in Louisiana prison for alleged rape of his six-year-old stepdaughter

A Louisiana man convicted of raping his six-year-old stepdaughter in 1994 is now walking free after both he and the victim long claimed he did not commit the heinous crime.

Patrick Brown, 49, was convicted based on adult testimony who claimed “what they believed” the victim had said, according to Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams.

Brown was released Monday by Criminal District Court Judge Calvin Johnson after 29 years in the maximum-security Louisiana State Penitentiary.

The victim never testified and has maintained Brown’s innocence for more than 20 years.

Williams admitted in a statement that “the evidence corroborated the victim’s statement.”

The victim spoke in court as Johnson signed the order to release her stepfather, whom she then hugged as he apologized for what she had been through.

“Finally, thanks for listening,” she said NOLA. com. ‘Thanks for listening to me. … Thank you for helping our family heal. Thank you for giving me my father back.’

She claimed to have written over 100 letters disputing her stepfather’s innocence and claiming that another family member had abused her and even bragged about it at the time.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, Orians denounced the state’s reluctance to listen to the victim.

“Patrick Brown’s conviction should have been reconsidered more than 20 years ago, the first time the victim tried to point out to the state that the wrong man was in prison,” she said.

“Ignoring her has only exacerbated the trauma she endured and made the state a party to inflicting that damage. I commend the Orians Parish District Attorney’s Office for taking this young woman seriously, rather than following the same path as their predecessors and refusing to listen,” Orians added.

She praised the Attorney General’s Office of Civil Rights, whom they called “the only prosecutors I’ve ever worked with in Louisiana who really take the admonition to ‘do justice’ seriously, and that should concern all of us.”

Orians said that while Brown never gave up hope, something special happened that allowed him to walk free.

Brown was released Monday by Criminal District Court Judge Calvin Johnson after serving 29 years in maximum-security Louisiana State Penitentiary

Brown shakes hands and greets the well-wishers as he walks to his freedom

“Patrick Brown’s conviction should have been reconsidered more than 20 years ago, the first time the victim tried to get the state’s attention that the wrong man was in prison,” said Brown’s attorney Kelly Orians.

“He said to someone, ‘This is not like winning the lottery, this is an act of Jesus Christ,'” she said. NBC news. “He has said he never lost hope that this would happen, largely because of his faith in God.”

Williams investigated the case after being elected prosecutor in 2020.

He said he was upset that the victim had never been listened to by the criminal justice system.

“Listening to and engaging with victims and survivors of sexual assault is a top priority in this office,” Williams said.

“It’s incredibly disheartening to know that this woman was fired and ignored, no matter how uncomfortable her truth was, when all she wanted was the real perpetrator held accountable.”

Orians’ statement noted that the victim in this case had still sustained heavy damage.

“While the right decision was made today, and there is cause for celebration, it will never make up for the pain and loss Mr. Brown, his stepdaughter and their family have endured over the past three decades.”

At the time of the original trial, prosecutors wanted the victim, then only seven years old, to testify, but she was taken off the stand after suffering a nosebleed when asked if she understood the consequences of lying at trial. The protector reported.

Ultimately, prosecutors called adult testimony in the 1990s “evident but inconclusive” and official hearsay.

At the time of the original trial, prosecutors wanted the victim, then only seven years old, to testify, but she was taken off the stand after suffering a nosebleed when asked if she understood the consequences of lying at trial.

“If someone is wrongfully convicted, it is not only unfair to the person who has had years of their life stolen, but it is also unfair to the victim and the citizens of New Orleans, because the real perpetrator is left to others,” he said. Williams. added.

Brown spent the first two days of his freedom making up for lost time with his family.

“They’re really just focused on spending time together and making up for the last three decades of not being together,” Orians said.

She noted that figuring out modern technology was the most difficult challenge to learn to live freely in 2023.

‘Everything. Everything between mobile phones, computers, hybrid cars, electric vehicles, debit and credit cards, it’s all very overwhelming and completely new to him,” added Orians.