A man sentenced to life for selling $20 of marijuana was released from a Louisiana prison this week, his attorneys state.
What We Know:
- In 2008, Fate Winslow was wandering and living on the streets in Shreveport when he was addressed by an undercover cop searching for marijuana, according to his attorneys at the Innocence Project New Orleans.
- They said Winslow acquired a bike, returned with two dime bags of marijuana, worth $20, and handed it to the officer for $5 so he could buy food. Winslow was arrested for distribution.
- Winslow had three previous sentences of non-violent crimes: business burglary, car burglary, and cocaine possession. Under state law, he got a mandatory life sentence as a repeat offender.
- Winslow’s case drew ample media coverage throughout the years, including multiple Rolling Stone articles. One of those articles demonstrated that while Winslow was arrested and sentenced, the white drug dealer who gave him the drugs wasn’t charged or arrested, although he had been found with the marked $20 bill on him.
- Jee Park, Winslow’s attorney, said Winslow’s trial attorney performed “little to no work” to fight for a lesser offense. “He did not get the jury process that he should have received. He did not receive the representation he’s entitled to,” Park told CBS News.
- Winslow was re-sentenced after connecting with Innocence Project New Orleans. After applying for relief, Winslow’s sentence was renewed to 12 years with credit for time served, leaving him free to go. He has since reconnected with his family, including nieces and nephews he had never met before.
“I thank God I made it through. That’s all I can say. I just give all the thanks to him,” Winslow said.
Winslow is excited to be rejoined with his children and grandchildren. He plans to live with his daughter in Shreveport as he gets back on his feet and has a landscaping job now waiting for him.
