| Quick Info | |
|---|---|
| Real Name | Leonard Allan Cure. |
| Birth Date | 1970. |
| Birth Place | Florida, United States. |
| Gender | Male. |
| Nationality | American. |
| Ethnicities | African-American. |
| Obituary | |
| Died Aged | 53. |
| Died On | October 16, 2023. |
| Cause of Death | Killed By Police During a Traffic Stop. |
| Body Measurements | |
| Height | In feet: 5' 11". In centimeters: 180.3 cm. In meters: 1.8 m. |
| Eyes | Brown. |
| Hair | Bald. |
| Career | |
| Profession | Public Speaker. |
All About Florida Native Leonard Cure
Leonard Cure ( age 53, 1970 – October 16, 2023) was a Florida resident, met an untimely end on October 16, 2023, during a traffic stop in Camden County, Georgia.
Leonard’s life had already been marked by injustice. He had spent more than 16 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit until he was finally exonerated in 2020. His story of being wrongly imprisoned is truly heartbreaking.
Right now, a separate agency, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, is looking into what exactly happened during this traffic stop. Here’s what we know so far:
The situation began when a police officer in Camden County pulled Leonard over for driving faster than the speed limit. He was going at least 90 miles per hour in a 70-mph zone. Initially, Leonard was cooperating, but things took a terrible turn when the officer decided to arrest him.
Unfortunately, things went from bad to worse. Leonard didn’t follow the officer’s orders, and the officer resorted to using a Taser and a baton to try to control him. The situation escalated, and tragically, the officer ended up using a gun, resulting in Leonard’s tragic death.
The officer involved has been placed on leave while the incident is under investigation, but we don’t have all the details about the officer or their past work history at this time.
Leonard Allan Cure was notable for being the first person declared innocent by the Broward State Attorney’s Office Conviction Review Unit. The Innocence Project of Florida had fervently championed his cause throughout his legal battle.
Wrongfully Convicted
Back in November 2003, a Walgreens store in Dania Beach, Florida, was robbed. The only witnesses were two employees, Ashraf Rizk and Kathy Venhuizen.
Here’s what happened: A guy with a gun burst into the store early in the morning, scared Rizk, and stole $1,700. Rizk saw the guy in the parking lot before the robbery. When Rizk opened the store, the guy attacked him, and then he took the money from the safe. Kathy came in at 7:15 a.m., and the robber left around 7:24 a.m.
Two days later, both Rizk and Kathy talked to the police to describe the robber. But there’s a twist: Kathy described the robber as a Black man, around 5’8″ tall, stocky, and with missing teeth. Rizk didn’t remember the missing teeth.
A week later, they were shown a lineup of pictures to identify the suspect. Kathy picked a guy named Leonard Cure, but Rizk wasn’t sure if Cure had the same skin color as the robber. The lineup they used had more than one picture of Leonard Cure, and it was put together all wrong from a police database.
On November 20, 2003, the police arrested Leonard Cure, thinking he was the robber. They also took some black clothes as possible evidence. But in May 2004, a judge said the police couldn’t use the clothes as evidence because they didn’t get permission.
Even though the lineup was messed up, the judge still believed Rizk and Kathy, and Leonard Cure got into serious trouble. In August 2004, Leonard Cure had a trial. There wasn’t any strong proof connecting him to the robbery, just what the witnesses said, and their stories didn’t match up.
Even though there wasn’t much evidence, Leonard Cure said he didn’t do it and had proof he was somewhere else when the robbery happened. But the jury couldn’t agree, so the trial continued. After the trial, they offered Leonard Cure a deal: if he admitted to the crime, he’d spend seven years in prison. But he said no because he knew he was innocent.
A few weeks later, the next trial started. Rizk, one of the store workers, now said he wasn’t completely sure if Leonard Cure was the robber. But even with this doubt, the jury found Cure guilty. As a result, Leonard Cure got a life sentence for using a gun to rob and threaten someone.
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Exoneration
Leonard Cure’s life took an unexpected and unjust turn more than a decade ago when he was accused of a crime he swore he didn’t commit. Despite his efforts to prove his innocence, the courts seemed resolute in their belief of his guilt.
In 2006, Cure filed his first appeal, desperately seeking to clear his name. Sadly, the Fourth District Court of Appeals maintained his conviction. He didn’t give up, though. In 2015 and 2016, he made two more attempts to show he was innocent, but the justice system remained unmoved.
Finally, in December 2019, nearly four years later, Cure sought help from the Conviction Review Unit of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit. It was the turning point in his quest for justice. They decided to give his case a fresh look.
A dedicated prosecutor, ASA Arielle Demby Berger, led the CRU’s efforts. She recognized the need for outside help and reached out to the Innocence Project of Florida. By February of the following year, Krista Dolan from the IPF agreed to join forces and work on Mr. Cure’s case.
On April 14, 2020, the CRU took a significant step, amending Cure’s sentence to 16 years, considering the time he had already spent behind bars. But their work was far from over. They uncovered a critical piece of information – Cure’s identification through the TRAP program had been flawed, which had not been adequately addressed during the trial. Had the defense questioned this earlier, it might have changed the course of his case.
After an extensive investigation, the CRU made a groundbreaking declaration: Leonard Cure was indeed innocent. The turning point arrived on December 11, 2020, when Judge John J. Murphy canceled Cure’s guilty verdict. Just three days later, all charges against him were dropped, bringing an end to his long-fought battle for justice.
Leonard Cure’s Life after Exoneration
After being declared innocent, Lenny got back in touch with his family and started a new life near Atlanta, Georgia. He found a good job and was doing well. Lenny really wanted to go to college to learn about making music, hoping for a career in the music business.
In August 2023, Leonard got money from the State of Florida for the more than 16 years he spent unfairly in prison. It was important that the state said sorry for the mistake. Sadly, when he passed away, he was in the process of buying his first home near Atlanta.
Leonard Cure FAQs
Ques: How old was Leonard Cure?
Ans: Leonard was just 53 years old.
Ques: What is the name of the officer who killed Leonard Cure?
Ans: The Police Department has not released the name of the deputy.
Ques: Was Leonard Allan Cure married?
Ans: No.
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