Exonerated death row inmate Glenn Ford dies of cancer

NEW ORLEANS, LA (KSLA) - A Shreveport native exonerated last year after new evidence revealed he was not the killer in the 1983 murder of Shreveport jeweler has died of complications from cancer.

The basis of the information was never publicly revealed, but the former Caddo Parish District Attorney who prosecuted the case at the time later admitted there was evidence back then that would have cleared Ford.

Glenn Ford, 65, walked free from Angola State Penitentiary in March 2014 after spending just over 29 years on death row.

"I'm happy," said a smiling Ford to reporters.

He was given a $20 debit card and the 24 cents that was left in his prison account.

He was diagnosed with lung cancer shortly after his release.

That diagnosis became the center of a federal lawsuit claiming a medical test revealed a cancer marker several years before Glenn was released from death row.

Ford's attorney Glenn Most says Ford was denied an opportunity to see a cancer doctor while at Angola. Most says Ford asked over and over for an oncologist and he was told it was such a long waiting list. The lawsuit states Ford was denied further testing and treatment for a number of conditions.

In addition to that lawsuit, Ford's attorneys have been working to appeal the state's denial of his petition under Louisiana's wrongful conviction compensation statute.

Those lawsuits are still pending.

Ford's attorney William Most says Ford died early Monday morning at 2:11 a.m., surrounded by friends, loved ones and family in recent days.

A memorial will be held at the Charbonnet Funeral Home at 1615 St Philip St, New Orleans, LA, at a date and time to be determined. In lieu of flowers, donations can be directed to Resurrection After Exoneration.

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