Exonerated after nearly 5 years, man sues Hertz over alibi documents (original) (raw)

Lansing, Mich. (WLNS) — After being locked up for 1,700 days, nearly 5 years, for a crime he did not commit Herbert Alford, 47, was exonerated in 2020. This after being falsely convicted of Michael Adams’ murder in 2016 and receiving a 30 to 60 year sentence.

Now he’s suing Hertz Corporation because they refused to turn over a receipt that corroborated his alibi.

A difficult path to freedom, because it took several years, multiple court orders and subpoenas for Hertz to turn over this receipt.

It shows Alford used his credit card at the Hertz located at the Lansing Airport at 3 p.m. on October 18th, 2011. Six minutes before Michael Adams was shot and killed in the 3400 block of Pleasant Grove at 2:54 p.m.

A simple google search shows the trip takes an average of 14-26 minutes. His attorney, Jamie White, says that proves his innocence.

“If anybody has ever traveled Lansing from Pleasant Grove to the airport you know that is not possible to accomplish. You couldn’t even do it in a helicopter.

In 2018, Hertz turned over the receipt and Alford’s conviction was overturned.
“There is no question that he would have avoided going to prison had they produced this documentation,” White said.

We reached out to Hertz, but they did not respond for comment as of 7 p.m.

Prosecutors have said that Alford’s cell phone records showed he was driving to the airport in the moments after the shooting, but that evidence was never introduced in the case.

Now Alford is suing the company. His attorney says he does not understand why it took so long for Hertz to turn over a critical piece of evidence.

“I think they looked at his situation, saw that there was a man, an African American man charged with murder and this just wasn’t worthy of their time,” White said.