Raymond Highers was 20 years old when he and his brother, Thomas, were accused of the 1987 murder of Robert Karey in Detroit. Karey was shot inside his home, where he sold marijuana. A witness outside the house reported seeing two white men flee and later identified Raymond as the driver of their getaway car. Another witness claimed that Thomas had previously discussed robbing and possibly killing Karey. Raymond denied that either brother was involved. He testified that they were elsewhere when the shooting occurred and arrived near Karey’s house only after police were already present. No physical evidence connected the brothers to the crime. The judge described the case as close, rejected the testimony of the alleged robbery witness as unreliable, and based the convictions principally on the eyewitness identification. In March 1988, Raymond and Thomas were convicted of first-degree murder, assault with intent to commit murder, and a firearm offense. Each was sentenced to life without parole, along with consecutive sentences for the additional convictions. More than two decades later, an attorney recalled hearing that several high school students had been at Karey’s house when the shooting occurred. Two of those men eventually testified that they had gone there to purchase marijuana and encountered four Black men approaching the house, two of whom were armed. The students fled in a Plymouth Horizon and heard a gunshot as they ran. Their testimony established that the two white men seen leaving the scene were the students, not Raymond and Thomas. A judge found the new witnesses credible and granted the brothers a new trial in 2012. Raymond and Thomas were released on bond after spending approximately 25 years in prison. In September 2013, prosecutors declined to retry them and dismissed all charges. Raymond died in April 2024. (National Registry of Exonerations