31-year-old Keith Davis, Jr. spent over seven years behind bars as the Baltimore court system attacked him first with an armed robbery trial, then four more trials for the same 2015 murder he didn’t commit. How did this happen?
In 2015, cops shot Davis 44 times before pinning a robbery and a murder on him. And instead of being able to focus on a full recovery, he had to deal with a carceral nightmare.
Davis experienced “prosecutorial vindictiveness,” which is exactly what it sounds like. But despite the retaliation that Davis endured, less than 1% of prosecutors get disciplined after committing misconduct.
And unfortunately, more Black people working in the criminal legal system doesn’t fix this problem.
Both the Baltimore City State’s Attorney who decided on Davis’ release and the one who kept him locked up were Black.
But don’t get it twisted. Black people coming together in our communities to strategize and fight injustice is effective and powerful.
On January 13, 2023, he finally walked free. After years of campaigning led by his wife, Kelly, and support locally and nationally, we can celebrate a victory. “I’ve been waiting for this forever,” said Davis. “This feels like the best day of my life.”