Philly Man Acted as his Own Lawyer and Got Himself Acquitted of Murder

This is such an amazing story. Its a story of never giving up on yourself, especially when everyone else has turned their backs. A man from Philly acted as his own attorney and got himself acquitted of murder.

His name is Hassan Bennett. He has spent 13 years in jail after being accused of murdering his own friend over a $20 dice game back in 2006. Two people who were there had identified Bennett as the shooter which was the main reason for his incarceration.

It is extremely rare for an inmate to represent him in court and come out on top. But that is exactly what happened in this case. It took 4 trials and absolutely no help from any attorneys, to gain his freedom. Plus he did it all in his prison uniform and with no law degree. However, he did gain his legal knowledge by studying case law inside the prison library. He spent long days and nights drafting legal briefs in his cell. 

From the start, Bennett has always maintained his innocence. He says he was in the other room on the phone when he heard gun shots.

So after 13 years and four trials, it took the jury  81 minutes to deliberate and find him to be not guilty. The witnesses who claimed the saw him shot his friend, retracted their statements and confessed that the detectives forced them to lie.

What an amazing story. Wishing Bennett all the best in his future.