Ray Highers News Today

And what do you know? tommy new old man bob. owed him money. used drugs. even told friends he was going to visit bob that night. they prepared a lineup. but when they show the picture to that eyewitness, he didnt pick up pick out tommy. he punted to tommys brother, ray. he told police he was positive, 100 percent sure, wray was one of the young men running down the driveway and helping in the car after the murder. so, both were arrested and tried. and convicted. and sitting in the courtroom, the...

To hang over your head? >> absolutely not. even though last year we have allowed it to hang over our heads. we moved on. weve moved on our lives. we are going to continue to do that. >> the wayne county prosecutor, kym worthy, who declined "dateline"s requests for an interview. took parting shot at the. brothers issued a statement saying quote, just as we do 26 years ago, we firmly believe in the evidence in this case. we have worked diligently to bring this case to trial. with the passage of ti...

Thats why im today, president made this man. my morals, my integritys. >> in a way, a positive experience but one you wouldnt wish on yours enemy. >> exactly. >> you still hold on to the light, and you just push forward every day. >> whats on the agenda today, guys? >> after their release they moved in with their and jan, and wart tethers to monitor their whereabouts. await into the real world, learning to use cellphones. getting their drivers licenses. >> i waited to get that all my life. first...

Being in touch with long lost friends from the neighborhood. >> including a couple of brothers, old friends from the neighborhood, who she remembered with a twinge, did not turn out so. well tommy and ray highers. went to prison in fact, for murder. mary followed the case we back then in 1987. remembers just how she felt when they were found guilty. >> i was shocked. you know? i was shocked to hear that. i thought, no way. >> did it sound like them to you? >> no. >> anyway, there she was thinkin...

Wouldnt have done it? >> never, i never believed it for one minute. >> the family stuck by tommy and ray as the man watched their twenties and then their thirties come and go, in prison. and now, where they were in their mid forties. still telling anybody and everybody, including us, that they did not kill old man bob. >> i just walked with the fate. you know, like this is not the end. >> the brothers had turned down any and all plea deals, determined instead, to clear their names. they joined e...

Table they can keep their freedom if they agree to one condition. whats clear they offering? >> to us to plead guilty, and we would get time served. >> would you? >> no. we were innocent and we screamed it for 25 years. for the people that got behind us and believed in us, for us to do that would just be a slap in their faces. it would just tear my integrity right out of my body. so, were innocent. nothing is going to change that. >> there will be people in the audience who will still believe yo...

And ray highers had been fighting to clear their names for 25 years. and now, judge lawrence had heard all the new evidence, this was the moment. >> this is the decision on the motion from relief from judgment. >> but with all the history, the legal ease, the new evidence the witnesses. >> the prosecution was meticulous in pointing out in consistencies and differences between testimonies. >> it took the judge two full hours to explain the basis for his decision. the reasons he said he had no cho...

Pictures of tommy and ray highers and confirm they were in prison. doing life without parole for the murder of old man bob. it was then it hit him like a brick in the face. something about those pictures was very, very wrong. only one thing to do. kevin picked up the phone and called that old college roommate. a man he hadnt seen for at least a decade. this man, john hielscher. >> he said it was about old man bob. i just started freaking out. like, im not doing it. im not doing any of this. >> h...

Something called the northeast detroit alumni group. so, what did you do in this group on facebook? >> well, that was all about being in touch with long lost friends from the neighborhood. >> including a couple of brothers, old friends from the neighborhood, who she remembered with a twinge, did not turn out so. well tommy and ray highers. went to prison in fact, for murder. mary followed the case we back then in 1987. remembers just how she felt when they were found guilty. >> i was shocked. yo...

Kevin was already on the computer that into thousand nine, so he pulled out the michigan department of corrections website and saw pictures of tommy and ray highers and confirm they were in prison. doing life without parole for the murder of old man bob. it was then it hit him like a brick in the face. something about those pictures was very, very wrong. only one thing to do. kevin picked up the phone and called that old college roommate. a man he hadnt seen for at least a decade. this man, john...