Lawyer: Ronnie Long, convicted of 1976 rape, will be freed

CONCORD, NC (AP) — The attorney for a North Carolina man who has spent 44 years in prison for a rape he says he didn’t commit will be freed.

The Charlotte Observer reported that Ronnie Long’s attorney shared the news via Twitter on Wednesday.

Attorney Jamie Lau wrote that the state will ask a district court to enter a writ vacating Ronnie’s conviction.

Long was a 20-year-old Black man living in Concord when he was accused of raping a white woman.

Earlier this week, a federal appeals court had granted a new hearing for Long.

A judge had criticized North Carolina for defending Long’s conviction despite the possibility that investigators withheld evidence.