Glenn Ford received national attention earlier this year because of a wrongful conviction that resulted in him being jailed for 31 years. The innocent Black man was on death row for murder and when he was finally released, he learned he had stage four lung cancer. It is now being reported by his family that Ford has died from his illness.
The prosecutor who put him in jail on false charges attempted to ask for forgiveness from Ford after his release. Prosecutor Marty Stroud told Ford, “I want you to know that I am very sorry. It’s a stain on me that will be with me until I go to my grave.”
However, Ford was not in a forgiving mood and responded, “Right. But it still cost me 31 years of my life and then nothing at the end but death because they give me from six to eight months to live. I’m sorry, I can’t forgive you.” Ford never received any compensation from the State of Louisiana and spent his remaining days in weakness and pain.
The GoFundMe page that Ford was using for donations has the following message:
“Thank you to all those who have donated to Justice for Glenn Ford. Glenn’s team has been so moved by the outpouring of support we have received in the past month. At 2:11 this morning, Monday June 29, 2015, Glenn slipped away very quietly and peacefully. He was held and surrounded by people who cared about him, and was listening to a song he loved. Thank you for your generous outpouring of support. If you feel moved to make a donation, please visit www.r-a-e.org/home to donate to Resurrection After Exoneration, the organization that provided housing and so much more for Glenn since he was released.”
