An armed robbery led to a life sentence 15 years ago. He just got his life back.
A man serving a life sentence for armed robbery had his prison time ended Tuesday by a Broward judge at the recommendation of the State Attorney’s Office’s Conviction Review Unit.
Leonard Cure, 50 and in prison for the last 15 years, was released from state prison Tuesday evening, the Broward State Attorney’s Office said. And his conviction eventually could be overturned.
Cure was found guilty on counts of robbery with a firearm and aggravated assault with a firearm for a November 2003 armed robbery of a Dania Beach Walgreens. Classified a habitual offender, Cure was sentenced to life for the first count and 10 years on the second count, to be served concurrently. His sentence began Jan. 27, 2005.
After the Broward state attorney’s CRU unit reviewed the case, it recommended “it is in the best interest of justice to release Cure to a time-served sentence.”
Broward Circuit Court Judge John J. Murphy’s order says, “The case review/presentation to the (Conviction Review Unit’s Independent Review Panel) will consider all forms of remedy through and including possible exonerations on one or both counts.”
Cure did seven months in prison between 1989 and 1990 for selling cocaine in Hamilton County, grand theft auto, battery on a law enforcement officer and escape in Miami-Dade. He did another four years, 11 months for an Orange County robbery, from 1991 to ‘96. He did another two years, nine months, from 1999 to 2002, on a cocaine possession rap.
But did Cure rob a closed Dania Beach Walgreens the morning of Nov. 10, 2003? His first trial ended in a hung jury and he refused to take a plea deal before the second trial.
Broward Assistant State Attorney Arielle Demby Berger’s report on the case said:
“The issues we find most troublesome are those surrounding how Cure became a suspect in the first place. Seemingly, a man who had no connection to a Walgreens’ robbery became the main suspect after someone reviewed photos of well-dressed/neat-appearing African-American males.
“That was it, there was no physical evidence, no witnesses who knew him, nothing but an alleged search in the questionable “TRAP” Program. The case became questionable at the very onset. If the identification was bad, then everything that comes after is bad as well.”
Also, Cure had an ATM receipt showing he was over three miles from the Walgreens 23 minutes before the robbery and he was seven miles from the construction site where he was working.
“The only remotely viable way for Cure to get to the ATM at 6:52 a.m., commit the crime from 7:15 a.m. until 7:24 a.m. and to change and show up for work between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. would be for him to be driving a car,” Demby Berger wrote. “Even with a car based on the mileage, traffic, and school zones during that time, it still most likely would not have been possible.”
Also the Broward sheriff’s deputy witness said the robbery suspect was walking and the Walgreens witnesses said their cars were the only ones in the parking lot. Cure and his girlfriend said he took the bus that day.
“We’re beyond thrilled for Mr. Cure and excited for the CRU’s decision to recommend release for Mr. Cure pending a full review,” Innocence Project of Florida attorney Krista Dolan said. “Collaborative work with conviction integrity units is critical to our work and we applaud Ms. Demby Berger and the Broward CRU and look forward to working with them both for the remaining review of this case, and on future cases.”
