Man Imprisoned For 30 Years Has Conviction Vacated By Pontotoc County Judge

A man who spent 30 years in prison after being convicted of rape and robbery in 1988 has had his conviction vacated.

The Innocence Project and District Attorney Erik Johnson asked a judge in Pontotoc County to vacate the 1988 conviction of Perry Lott.

According to the Innocence Project, Lott has been released from prison, but the organization launched an investigation in 2014 which discovered Lott's DNA was not recovered from the victim's rape kit.

At the time, the Pontotoc County District attorney declined to vacate the conviction, instead offering to modify Lott's sentence to time served.

Lott's attorney said he accepted the deal to avoid years of court battles.

"Five years ago, all evidence pointed to his innocence, but he was denied justice," Innocence Project senior staff attorney Adnan Sultan said. "We are grateful to District Attorney Erik Johnson for his commitment to righting this wrong.”

Following the judge's decision to vacate Lott's conviction, Lott said he was glad his and his associate's perseverance had finally paid off after all this time.

"I have never lost hope that this day would come,” Perry Lott said. “I had faith that the truth would prevail, even after 35 long years. I am grateful to everyone who supported me and helped in my fight for freedom. I can finally shut this door and move on with my life.”