New evidence means freedom for a Michigan man who spent 37 years in prison for a murder conviction

DETROIT– A man who served nearly 40 years in prison for a Detroit-area murder will not have to appear in court again after a judge overturned his conviction based on new evidence.

The prosecutors’ decision means Paul Clark, who has been out on bail since May, is free for good.

“I just can’t believe it. I’ve been looking forward to this day my whole life,” said Clark’s daughter, DeAngelic Clark, 36, who was born shortly after he was sent to prison in 1987.

Clark was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting Trifu Vasilije during an attempted robbery in Highland Park. Clark repeatedly protested his innocence, but for years his appeals failed.

The effort took a major turn in 2020, with help from the University of Michigan Law School’s Innocence Clinic. The Wayne County District Attorney’s Office discovered a mugshot of a man arrested in 1987 for a similar killing in Highland Park.

The photo showed a large, fresh scar on the man’s face. The wound was telling: Vasilije was found with a knife in his hand when he was murdered.

Clark’s attorney was not given that photo before the 1987 trial. It could have cast doubt on the prosecution’s case, Judge Mark Slavens said in April.

“There is a significant likelihood that the defendant is in fact innocent,” Slavens said of Clark.

On Tuesday, prosecutors said in court that they would not retry Clark. Spokeswoman Maria Miller had no immediate comment on Wednesday.

Attorney Shereef Akeel, who is working on Clark’s potential lawsuit, told the Detroit Free Press that “we witnessed justice.”

“Sadly, there are many other innocent men and women fighting to prove their innocence,” Akeel said.