The judge noted that Robinson had recanted three times-initially to Washington's defense investigator when he was a teenager, at the 1999 hearing when he was 24 years old and in 2017 when he was 42 years old. "The Court is left with the inescapable conclusion that multiple recantations of the uncorroborated testimony by the sole eyewitness in (Washington's) case have to create a substantial possibility of a different result."
On January 15, 2019, the prosecution dismissed the charges and Washington was released after spending more than 31 years in prison.
In August 2019, Washington filed a federal civil rights lawsuit seeking compensation for his wrongful conviction. He also filed for state compensation. Maryland's Board of Public Works approved paying Washington $3 million on May 1, 2024. The federal lawsuit was dismissed but Washington appealed and in January 2025, an appeals court ordered parts of the lawsuit reinstated. The lawsuit was settled in January 2026 for $14 million.
STORY: "Baltimore pays $14 million to wrongfully convicted man who spent 31 years in prison," by Reporter Mike Hellgren, published by CBS Baltimore, on January 7, 2026.
GIST: "Baltimore agreed on Wednesday to pay $14 million to a man who was wrongfully convicted of a 1986 murder.
Gary Washington spent more than 30 years in prison and always maintained his innocence. He alleged that police threatened a child witness whose testimony led to his conviction.
Flawed case
The witness statement signed by 12-year-old Otis Robinson in January 1987 named Gary Washington as a killer.
It was the key evidence in the case against Washington, who spent more than three decades behind bars after a jury convicted him.
The tragedy began in the 2300 block of Barclay Street in East Baltimore two days after Christmas in 1986.
The victim, Faheem "Bobo" Ali, was walking down the street, according to court records, when he encountered two men. They began arguing. One of them shot and killed Ali.
Police focused on Washington as the suspect. A new dad who was just 25 years old at the time, he lived on the block.
Washington never wavered in his claims that he did not commit the killing.
In court filings, Washington's lawyers said police, desperate to make an arrest, threatened the 12-year-old that if he did not identify a shooter, he would be taken from his mother and could be arrested for the homicide himself.
In court filings, Washington's lawyers said police, desperate to make an arrest, threatened the 12-year-old that if he did not identify a shooter, he would be taken from his mother and could be arrested for the homicide himself.
Major settlement
Baltimore City's spending board voted Wednesday to pay Washington $14 million to resolve his civil rights lawsuit and claims police manipulated witnesses and fabricated evidence.
"Based on the unreliability of the detectives' testimony at this point due to their advanced age, due to the recanted witness, which was the reason the plaintiff was released from prison, we felt at this juncture prior to trial was the best time to settle the case," Chief Baltimore City Solicitor Justin Conroy said. "And so, for that reason, we negotiated pretty aggressively and got a settlement value that we think is the best deal for the city and resolves the matter."
Mayor Brandon Scott said the Baltimore Police Department has changed dramatically since the Washington case.
"We have come a long way. First of all, making sure that we do a much better job of hiring and keeping folks that should be employed as police officers versus those who may have questionable character," Scott said.
Governor Moore apologizes
This is the second settlement Washington has received since his release in 2019.
The state authorized a $3 million payment that came with an apology from the governor in 2024.
"11,459 days or 31 years were stolen from Mr. Washington," Governor Wes Moore said at the time.
The state authorized a $3 million payment that came with an apology from the governor in 2024.
Washington told the governor he got through the ordeal by reading, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Strength to Love," a collection of the late civil rights leader's sermons.
"On behalf of the entire state, I'm sorry for the failure of the justice system," Moore said.
Washington's attorney Renee Spence told WJZ Investigates, "Almost exactly 39 years ago today, Baltimore homicide detectives went into Mr. Washington's house and wrongfully arrested him for the murder of Faheem Ali. The arrest and Mr. Washington's eventual wrongful conviction were based on evidence these detectives fabricated. While this settlement cannot make up for the more than three decades Mr. Washington spent wrongfully imprisoned and falsely branded a murderer, it is an important end to a nearly 40-year legal battle to clear his name and hold these officers accountable."
Both of Washington's parents died while he was in prison. He is now 64 years old.
"She knew that you were innocent," Gov. Moore said of Washington's mother. "…I know she's looking down with pride in her son.""
The entire story can be read at:
https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/baltimore-wrongfully-convicted-prison-gary-washington
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
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