New photo evidence vindicates man who was imprisoned for nearly 40 years

Paul Clark Jr. was found guilty of first-degree murder in 1987 following the death of Trifu Vasilije, which happened during an attempted robbery in the Detroit neighborhood of Highland Park, according to his online court docket and a synopsis of the case verified by his attorney. Vasilije was found dead, holding a knife in apparent self-defense.

The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office declared this week that they will not retry the case after Michigan Circuit Court Judge Mark Slavens threw out the case in a recent update.

One of Clark’s lawyers, Shereef Hadi Akeel, told People, “Paul is a walking reminder of what it means to be free. Throughout his wrongful incarceration, he was fighting for his innocence, and finally he was heard. Paul’s freedom is a testament to his innocence and a relief for his family.”

While incarcerated, the 57-year-old worked as a barber and intends to continue with that profession. He told the Associated Press, “I want to get my life started back up. I want to get back to work. I’ve been cutting hair all my life. I want to get back in the barbershop.”

The attorney clarified that Clark had been filing several unsuccessful appeals, however, in 2020, the prosecutor’s office discovered a mug shot of a man who had been detained in a similar neighborhood homicide the same year as Vasilije’s murder.

During the trial, Clark’s attorney was not given access to the mugshot of the man, who had a significant scar running across his face.

According to Akeel, Michigan 3rd Circuit Court Judge Slavens, who granted relief of a new trial in the case in April, stated at the time that the mugshot was evidence convincing enough to have perhaps caused doubt among jurors had they seen the photo.

The Michigan Department of Corrections’ Kyle Kaminski confirmed to People that Clark was released from prison on May 23 “because the court reversed his conviction.”

In a statement that the outlet was able to obtain, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy commented that although her office will not retry the case “due to the age of the case, the difficulties of trying to put the case together again, and the new evidence that raised a potential reasonable doubt as to Mr. Clark’s guilt” – her office “would not categorize this case as an exoneration.”

According to the online court record, on Tuesday, July 23, Slavens dismissed the case in its entirety. Worthy’s office is also dismissing the charges against Clark. The jury trial, scheduled for September 11, has been canceled.

Clark’s daughter was due in a month and his son was a toddler when he was first put behind bars.

“So much was taken away from him,” Akeel said, noting that Clark’s mother was “his strongest supporter” who “kept vouching for his innocence” and had died before he was released. Clark was even denied permission to attend her funeral, according to Akeel.

Clark celebrated with members of his immediate family outside the courtroom on Tuesday. They hugged each other in a circle.

“Paul is taking one step at a time,” said Akeel. “Being locked up for 37 years, he needs to take baby steps to transition into society.”

They are currently seeking “a civil rights action to vindicate his rights,” according to Akeel.