Cleveland Scene: Man freed by UC OIP waits for new trial

Isaiah Washington, who walked free in May with the help of the Ohio Innocence Project at the University of Cincinnati College of Law after serving nearly 46 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, continues to await his day in court. The Cleveland Scene reports that the Eighth District Court of Appeals denied Cuyahoga County’s motion to seek an appeal of the order granting Andrews a new trial.

Andrews, now 82, was convicted in 1975 of the murder of his newlywed wife, Regina Andrews. He walked free on May 6 after a team of UC faculty, attorneys and students discovered evidence that strongly implicated another man committed the murder, but that evidence had been unlawfully suppressed from Andrews’ defense for 45 years.

A judge granted Andrews’ request for a new trial, which prosecutors oppose. A new trial date has not yet been set. Andrews is currently on house arrest and GPS monitoring. His OIP attorneys have filed a motion to have those restrictions lifted in advance of a new trial. The judge in his case has not yet ruled on that motion.

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Featured image at top: Brian Howe and Isaiah Andrews after Andrews' release on Wednesday, May 6, 2020. Photo provided by Mark Godsey