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M. Ogiemwonyi

Other Harris County CIU Cases
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On March 6, 2014, Houston Police arrested 19-year-old M. Ogiemwonyi after they confiscated 19 white tablets from him that field-tested positive as the drug commonly called ecstasy.

On March 10, 2014, Ogiemwonyi pled guilty in Harris County Criminal District Court to possession of a controlled substance. He was sentenced to four years of probation.

In November 2014, Ogiemwonyi was charged with armed robbery with a deadly weapon. He pled guilty and was sentenced to seven years in prison and his probation was revoked.

In May 2015, the Houston Police Department crime laboratory tested the white tablets and no illegal drug was found. The test results were passed on to the Harris County District Attorney’s Post Conviction Review Unit, which then informed Ogiemwonyi’s defense attorney.

The prosecution joined Ogiemwonyi’s attorney in filing a state petition for a writ of habeas corpus in July 2015. The trial judge recommended the writ be issued and in September 2015, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ordered Ogiemwonyi’s conviction be vacated.

On October 1, 2015, the prosecution dismissed the charge of possession of a controlled substance.

– Maurice Possley

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Posting Date: 10/5/2015
State:Texas
County:Harris
Most Serious Crime:Drug Possession or Sale
Additional Convictions:
Reported Crime Date:2014
Convicted:2014
Exonerated:2015
Sentence:Probation
Race/Ethnicity:Black
Sex:Male
Age at the date of reported crime:19
Contributing Factors:False or Misleading Forensic Evidence
Did DNA evidence contribute to the exoneration?:No