Man ordered to serve 400 years for 1989 armed robbery in Broward goes free

FORT LAUDERDALE -- An armed robbery suspect who served over 30 years of a 400-year prison sentence walked out of prison Monday afternoon as a free man.

Sidney Holmes, 57, left prison after state prosecutors launched a review of his conviction and the circumstances that led to his arrest and conviction.

Holmes was greeted by his family as he walked out. He said the first thing he wants to do is get something to eat. 

"We have one rule here at the Broward State Attorney's Office - do the right thing, always," Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor said in a written statement about the case. "Our Conviction Review Unit is dedicated to seeking the truth and reviewing plausible claims of innocence from people who have exhausted all of their rights to appeal and have nowhere left to turn. We review each case with an open mind, with no preconceptions, and we follow the evidence wherever it goes."

Holmes contacted the Broward State Attorney's Office Conviction Review Unit in November 2020 in which he asserted his innocent of the June 19, 1988 armed robbery, according to a written statement by the state attorney's office.

During the incident, a man and woman were robbed outside the One Stop store, located at 2525 NW 6th Street, the statement said.

Holmes was arrested on Oct. 6, 1988 and convicted after a jury trial the following April and sentenced in May, officials said.

According to the statement, Holmes was found guilty of being the driver for two unidentified men who robbed the pair at gunpoint outside the store, and stealing the man's car.

Prosecutors determined that Holmes had a "plausible claim of innocence" because of how he became a suspect and because of the precarious eyewitness identification that was the principal evidence against him at trial.

Specifically, the review found, according to prosecutors, that:

• Eyewitness identification of Holmes was "likely a misidentification" partly due to the photo and live lineup practices commonly used by law enforcement at the time. The identification of Holmes was scientifically unreliable and contrary to modern-day best practices in several ways.
• A civilian review by the brother of one of the victims concluded that similarities between his extremely common Oldsmobile and the car used by the robbers overlooked differences between the two cars and was likely a misidentification of the vehicle.
• There was no evidence linking Holmes to the robbery, other than flawed identification of him as a suspect.
• Both victims told the CRU reinvestigation they believe Holmes should be released from prison.