Paul, Weiss Secures Release of Unjustly Convicted Man After 44 Years in Louisiana Prison

Paul, Weiss, in conjunction with local counsel from the Southern Center for Human Rights, secured the release of pro bono client Ronald Porter from the life sentence he was serving at Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola. Porter was unjustly convicted on two counts of first-degree murder over 40 years ago. His release comes under a progressive initiative of the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office, through which Louisiana is attempting to reduce the number of incarcerated individuals in its prisons, specifically individuals serving decades-long sentences and who have been identified as potentially unjustly convicted. The goal of this project is to bring clients home to their families and communities after serving unreasonably long sentences.

Porter’s conviction in 1982 on two counts of first-degree murder hinged almost entirely on the false testimony of one eyewitness. Porter’s petition describes a prosecution and trial riddled with constitutional violations, including multiple Brady violations, ineffective assistance of counsel, the prosecution’s solicitation and presentation of false and misleading testimony at trial, and unconstitutional jury instructions regarding reasonable doubt. The most egregious of these violations included the prosecution’s failure to disclose the fact that the single eyewitness received a highly favorable plea deal in exchange for her testimony against Porter, as well as the prosecution’s calling of this eyewitness to testify falsely at trial without disclosing the fact that she had recanted the testimony that implicated our client in the crime.

A post-conviction relief hearing was held in Orleans Parish, Louisiana. After hearing argument from the district attorney and from litigation associate Samantha Weinberg on behalf of Porter, Judge Leon Roche vacated Porter’s conviction on the ground that the jury had been given a constitutionally infirm instruction on reasonable doubt, a point conceded by the district attorney. The judge accepted our client’s plea to two counts of manslaughter as part of an agreement with the state, resentenced him, and immediately ordered him released on time served.

Upon his release, Porter is participating in a reentry program conducted by the Louisiana Parole Project, a nonprofit organization that helps formerly incarcerated men and women reenter society and rebuild their lives.

The Paul, Weiss team included litigation partner Mark Mendelsohn and associates Samantha Weinberg and Kat Cooper.