City council members in Atlanta, Georgia, are considering a $1.5 million settlement for a man who was wrongfully arrested and jailed for nearly 14 months for a crime he did not commit.
Keith Sylvester was arrested and jailed in Fulton County in December 2018 on charges that he strangled and murdered his mother, Deborah Hubbard, and stepfather, Harry Hubbard, and set their home on fire nearly six months earlier.
All charges were dropped and he was released in March 2020 after authorities determined he did not commit the crime.
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Keith Sylvester was arrested and jailed for nearly 14 months for a crime he did not commit. (Fulton County Sheriff's Office)
Sylvester has maintained his innocence since his arrest in 2018.
“I am innocent and had nothing to do with the deaths of my mother and stepfather,” he told Fox 5 Atlanta at the time.
The case against Sylvester was called into question when evidence was revealed implicating another suspect, Cornelius Muckle, who has since been identified as the actual shooter, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.
Cornelius Muckle was implicated as the real suspect in connection with the murders. (Fulton County Sheriff's Office)
Muckle's mobile phone was traced to the crime scene and detectives discovered he had taken items from the Hubbard home two days after the murders. He was later jailed in 2020.
Sylvester, recalling his wrongful arrest, said his mugshot “should never have been taken.”
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Sylvester has maintained his innocence since his arrest in 2018. (iStock)
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In the days following the murders, Sylvester attempted to help police track down the real suspect, posting arson signs around his neighborhood in an effort to hold the killer accountable for the crime, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
The Atlanta Public Safety Committee's decision to settle the Sylvester case now heads to the full Atlanta City Council for final approval.
