The U-M Innocence Clinic

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But that likely won’t be needed now. Two months after the final court hearing, Judge Fresard finally ruled in the Reeds’ favor July 10. The Innocence Clinic planned to immediately move to have them released on bail, and Moran hoped to get a hearing on a bond motion as early as Monday, July 13. If the motion is granted, the Reeds would be released from prison.

While the prosecution could appeal Fresard's ruling or bring another trial, Moran believes that it won’t—and that the Reeds’ long legal nightmare will finally come to an end. “No prosecutor would want to retry that case given what we know now,” he predicts, “so there’s no way there will be a retrial.”

Maria Miller, spokeswoman for the Wayne County Prosecutor's office, would say only that the prosecutor "will make a decision regarding this matter in the next several weeks."

Once the Reeds’ case is resolved, next year’s class will move on to Dwayne Provience, Lorinda Swain, Karl Vinson, and other clients. Behind them, there are thousands more letters from other prisoners to review. The Innocence Clinic will still have plenty of work to do.