June 9, 2023

Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor is happy and honored to make the historic announcement that Leonard Cure, the first man exonerated by the Broward State Attorney’s Office Conviction Review Unit, has been approved for $817,000 in compensation from the State of Florida for his wrongful conviction and imprisonment.

Cure, now 53, will also receive 120 hours of college tuition and fees under the claims bill, which was signed today by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

State Attorney Pryor said: “This is an historic moment and this was the right thing to do. The Governor and our Florida Legislature did the right thing. We thank the Governor and the Florida Legislature for doing the right thing. We put aside our political differences and agreed that a man was wrongfully convicted and imprisoned, and that he should be compensated.”

“No amount of money will get those years back for Mr. Cure or give him peace but it is a small gesture that recognizes Mr. Cure was wronged and that we, in the State of Florida and in the justice system, will help him and compensate him.”

The claims bill was shepherded through by State Rep. Michael Gottlieb. State Rep. Ashley Gantt, and State Senator Shevrin Jones. We also appreciate all of the work done by the Innocence Project of Florida.

To our knowledge, this was the first time in state history that a State Attorney fully supported a claims bill on behalf of a person exonerated by a conviction review or conviction integrity unit.

Since taking office in January of 2021, State Attorney Pryor fully supported all efforts to assist Cure. Cure has visited our office and participated in training sessions by talking to our prosecutors about his experience and how to try to avoid wrongful convictions in the future.

A jury convicted Cure of a 2003 armed robbery in Broward County and he was sentenced to life in prison. Cure was released after serving more than 16 years in state prison.

Assistant State Attorney Arielle Demby Berger, the head of our Conviction Review Unit, received a petition from Cure on Dec. 3, 2019 and immediately began a review of the case. After her initial review, she contacted the Innocence Project of Florida to ask the organization to assist Cure. Attorneys Krista Dolan and Seth Miller, with legal intern Marc Simmons, from the Innocence Project of Florida, were retained by Cure on Feb. 10, 2020.

Following the initial review of the case, the State Attorney’s Office had serious concerns about Cure’s guilt and continued incarceration. Prosecutors made the decision to release Cure from prison on April 14, 2020. After his release, prosecutors continued to investigate the case and presented their findings to the Independent Review Panel. The panel and the State Attorney’s Office concluded that he was innocent and that it was in the best interest of justice to overturn the conviction in December of 2020.

Demby Berger said: “These cases are rare and take a lot of time. This is exactly why conviction review units and the opportunity for an exoneration are so crucial to ensuring justice. While Mr. Cure spent more than 16 years in prison, the entire state has recognized this error and worked together to remedy it. I’ve gotten to know Mr. Cure, “Lenny,” these past years and he has encouraged our work as well as helped us train future generations of prosecutors. Lenny has shared with me that his dream was one day to work in a cubicle instead of doing manual labor. Now, Lenny can go to college and surpass his dreams.”

To read more about our Conviction Review Unit’s work on Mr. Cure’s case, please click here. Additional information on the case and exoneration can be viewed under case # 03019405CF10A on www.browardclerk.org The text of the claim can be viewed here.

In 2019, the Broward County State Attorney’s Office opened the Conviction Review Unit (CRU) to continue our practice of reviewing and investigating claims of innocence. The CRU screens cases for plausible claims of innocence and conducts detailed investigations, using the newest science, technology, techniques, experts and laws to ensure that innocent people are free and that true perpetrators are held accountable.

Since its inception, the unit’s noteworthy cases include the exoneration of Leonard Cure and Sidney Holmes, as well as a reinvestigation that provided new evidence that further implicated Robert Earl Hayes in a 1990 homicide. Additional information about the CRU is available here.

Contact: Paula McMahon, Broward State Attorney’s Office spokeswoman: mediarelations@sao17.state.fl.us or 954-831-7910