Fairburn, Georgia – Leonard Allan Cure, known as Lenny to his friends and advocates, had a remarkable journey – from spending 16 years wrongfully imprisoned to rebuilding his life after exoneration. But on a fateful Monday morning, his aspirations were shattered when he was fatally shot by a Georgia sheriff’s deputy during a routine traffic stop. It was a cruel twist of fate that robbed him of the future he so eagerly sought.
In 2020, Leonard Cure made headlines as the first person to be exonerated by the Broward County State Attorney’s Office’s Conviction Review Unit in Florida. His exoneration marked a triumph of justice after a wrongful conviction that saw him spend 16 years behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit.
Cure had been wrongfully convicted of an armed robbery at a Walgreens in Broward County, Florida, in 2003. Despite the initial jury deadlock on the charges, Cure was sentenced to life in prison due to his prior offenses. It wasn’t until December 2020 that his name was finally cleared.
The Conviction Review Unit’s investigation revealed a crucial piece of evidence – an ATM receipt – that placed Cure miles away from the crime scene at the time of the robbery. Moreover, the Unit uncovered that the victim’s identification procedure had been unreliable and suggestive. These revelations led to his exoneration, and the state of Florida issued an official apology for the grave miscarriage of justice.
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Leonard Cure’s life was back on track following his release. He reunited with his family, built a new life for himself in suburban Atlanta, and harbored dreams of attending college for music production. His journey served as an inspiration to many who had followed his story.
However, on that fateful Monday morning, Leonard Cure’s life took an unexpected and tragic turn. While returning home from a visit to his mother in southern Florida, Cure was pulled over on Interstate 95 in southeastern Georgia for speeding. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is currently looking into the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Cure initially complied with the sheriff’s deputy’s orders. However, things took a tragic turn when he learned he was under arrest. Despite the deputy’s attempts to subdue him with a Taser and baton, Cure reportedly did not comply. The situation escalated to a point where the deputy resorted to using his firearm, ultimately resulting in Cure’s untimely death.
The incident occurred after Cure was pulled over for driving at a speed exceeding the limit, according to the Camden County Sheriff’s Office. The exact details and motivations leading to the shooting remain under investigation.
Lenny’s tragic end has left the community, advocates, and supporters devastated. The Innocence Project of Florida, the organization that helped him regain his freedom, expressed profound sorrow at the loss of a man who had overcome unimaginable adversity.
Leonard Allan Cure’s story was one of resilience and redemption, but it ultimately ended in a heartbreaking and senseless tragedy. His memory will live on as a testament to the importance of justice and the need for continued efforts to reform and improve our criminal justice system.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
