Susan Mellen was sentenced to life in prison after being charged with orchestrating the brutal beating of Richard Daly, which led to his death. The ruling gave her a slim chance of being granted parole.
The notion of Mellen's involvement in the crime came from a single witness who claimed that Mellen had even confessed the act. The witness, identified as June Patti, passed away in 2006.
Mellen's case took a significant turn when the group Innocence Matters decided to investigate it under the leadership of Deirdre O'Connor. The group was formed to help people who have been wrongly convicted gain their freedom.
Patti's claim was discovered to be erroneous; she had a long history of providing the law enforcement with wrong crime-related tips. In a habeas corpus petition, O'Connor argued that the police detective who was responsible for arresting Mellen handled a case in 1994 that led to the conviction of two men. They were eventually exonerated with the help of the innocence projects.
In prison, Mellen never lost hope that one day she would be free again. She held on to her faith and wrote the word "Freedom" underneath her prison-issued sneakers. She never kept any hatred against anyone.
"I would cry every night," said Mellen. "I always knew that one day God would bring the truth to the light," she said outside the Torrance City courthouse.
Three gang members were identified and linked to her case. One was charged with the killing. Another admitted that he was present at the time of Daly's killing after taking a polygraph test.
A Los Angeles County judge overturned the conviction given to Mellen and expressed that she was represented improperly by her attorney.
"I believe she is innocent," said Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold. "For this reason I believe in this case the justice system failed."
Fox 11 News Reporter Hal Eisner tweeted this photo on his account:
Susan Mellen is free tonite after spending 17 years in prison for something she did not do. More at 10. @myfoxla pic.twitter.com/wC9Yn3on4B
— Hal Eisner (@HalEisner) October 11, 2014
Mellen was thankful and said that she couldn't wait to see her children again and hug her grandson for the first time. The courtroom was filled with applause after the judge gave his ruling.
"I'm a free woman now. Let me do the running man," said Mellen.
Mellen's children, who had waited for their mother outside the courtroom for eight hours, hugged their mother with joy.
