Judge throws out Isaiah Andrews’ case against City of Cleveland police officers

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) -A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed for a man who was imprisoned for more than four decades for a murder he didn’t commit.

In 1974, Isaiah Andrews was arrested and charged with aggravated murder in the stabbing death of his wife, Regina Andrews, at the Colonial House Hotel in Cleveland.

Regina was stabbed 11 times, according to the coroner who performed the autopsy.

Her body was found dumped in Forest Hills Park, wrapped in bedroom linen.

Andrews was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

For more than four decades, he proclaimed his innocence from behind bars.

In 2018, Ohio Innocence Project took up his case and lawyers discovered police had evidence that someone else could be the killer.

They said that information was never publicly revealed to the court or to Andrews.

A new trial was held in October 2021 and a jury found him not guilty of the aggravated murder charge.

82-year-old man granted new trial in Cuyahoga County after maintaining innocence in 1974 murder of wife

The state of Ohio officially recognized the not guilty verdict in March 2022 and Andrews was exonerated.

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Sunday, April 10, Andrews died from complications with cancer.

His attorney said he spent his final days as a free man after being imprisoned all those years.

“He never wavered. He maintained that he was in a position to clear his name for his family and I think he died a peaceful man as a result of that,” said Marcus Sidoti, attorney at Friedman, Gilbert + Gerhardstein.

“This is America, how could my fellow man treat me like this?”

“I think when he was released at his age, he realized that fight wasn’t over yet. He knew time was limited, as we all do at his age, to make sure he got justice for him and his wife,” said Sidoti.

Attorneys filed two lawsuits on his behalf: one against the city of Cleveland and the original officers who arrested him and a federal civil rights lawsuit.

Last week. U.S. Judge James Gwin found that it was Cuyahoga County’s Prosecutor’s Office that failed to turn over evidence to Andrews’ attorneys.

However, prosecutors have immunity and are protected from lawsuits.

Andrews’ attorneys plan to challenge the judgement and file an appeal and they are still moving forward with the federal civil rights lawsuit.

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