‘I’m going to have my freedom one day’: Crosley Green returns to prison for 1990 murder conviction

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A Central Florida man who insists he’s innocent in a 1989 murder returned to prison Monday.

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Now 65 years old, Crosley Green returned to custody Monday to finish serving out a life sentence after being on “conditional release” for more than two years.

Green has claimed for decades that he was wrongly convicted in the 1989 murder of Charles Flynn.

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With his legal options exhausted, Green’s fate now lies with the State of Florida.

“It may take a little time, but it’s coming,” Green said in a video statement provided by his attorney.

On September 5, 1990, Green was convicted and sentenced to death for the first-degree murder of Charles “Chip” Flynn, found shot to death in Mims.

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Video: ‘Justice will prevail’: Attorneys work to keep convicted killer Crosley Green out of prison After being on conditional release for nearly two years, Green has been ordered back to prison to continue serving his life sentence. (Melonie Holt, WFTV.com)

Green’s attorneys say there’s no direct evidence tying him to the murder, and that prosecution witnesses have recanted testimony since Green’s conviction.

In 2009, Green was resentenced to life in prison, and in 2018, Green’s conviction was overturned, until an appeals court overturned that ruling. Finally, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Green’s case, leaving him with two chances.

“His options now are parole and clemency,” Green’s Attorney Keith Harrison said. “Even from the state’s perspective- if you believe he was properly convicted of the crime- he has more than served his sentence, 32 years as a model prisoner.”

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Green now has a fiancée and even found employment while his case was being appealed.

“I believe whole-heartedly that I’m going to have my freedom one day.” Green said. “I can’t say when. I can’t say how, but I will eventually…I’ll have my freedom.”

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