Florida man set free after 35 years in prison after prosecutors learn he was misidentified

A man serving a 400-year prison sentence for an armed robbery was found to have been wrongfully convicted and was set free on Monday, despite having already served 35 years. 

Sidney Holmes, 57, was convicted in April 1988 after he was accused of being the getaway driver in an armed robbery in Fort Lauderdale where two men robbed two individuals at gunpoint in Fort Lauderdale in 1988. Holmes was sentenced as a habitual offender because he had been previously convicted of armed robbery in 1984. 

In 2020, Holmes contacted the State Attorney’s Conviction Review Unit (CRU) claiming he was innocent and wanted his trial reopened. The CRU determined that he had a plausible claim of innocence. 

While reviewing the case, the CRU determined that the eyewitness in the case had “misidentified” Holmes and found no additional evidence connecting him to the robbery. 

"We have one rule here at the Broward State Attorney's Office – do the right thing, always. As prosecutors, our only agenda is to promote public safety in our community and to ensure that justice is served," Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor said in a statement. "I commend the victims, witnesses, and law enforcement officers for their candor and assistance in reinvestigating a crime that occurred more than 34 years ago."

“I can’t put it into words,” said Holmes said in an interview with ABC affiliate WPLG after he was exonerated and freed on Monday. “It’s overwhelming.”

“I know this day was gonna come sooner or later, and today is the day,” he added.