October 16, 2023

Statement from Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor and the Broward State Attorney’s Office team:

“We are devastated by the death of Leonard Cure, who was the first person exonerated by our Conviction Review Unit. The Leonard we knew was a smart, funny and kind person. After he was freed and exonerated by our office, he visited prosecutors at our office and participated in training to help our staff do their jobs in the fairest and most thorough way possible. He would frequently call to check in on Assistant State Attorney Arielle Demby Berger, the head of the Conviction Review Unit, and offer our team encouragement to continue to do the important work of justice.

Leonard was so excited that the Florida Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis had recently approved his claims bill. He had been working a job in security, he was hoping to go to college and wanted to work in broadcast radio production, he was buying his first home.

We send our sincerest condolences to his family and all who knew him.”

More information about the recently approved claims bill is here.

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