Marvin Leon Grimm Jr. was exonerated by the Virginia Court of Appeals Tuesday for being wrongfully convicted of murder, abduction, and sodomy in Richmond City Circuit Court in 1976, Attorney General Miyares announced.
A Virginia man has been exonerated after spending 45 years in prison for the death of a 3-year-old in 1975, the state’s attorney announced.
Marvin Leon Grimm Jr. was exonerated by the Virginia Court of Appeals Tuesday for being wrongfully convicted of murder, abduction, and sodomy in Richmond City Circuit Court in 1976, Attorney General Miyares announced.
"The case of Marvin Grimm is a textbook example of why Virginia provides actual innocence relief. For the American experiment in self-government to continue to thrive, the government must be willing to admit when it makes mistakes. It is an honor to stand up for Mr. Grimm’s innocence in this case," Attorney General Miyares said in a statement.
In late 1975, a 3-year-old boy wandered into the woods behind the Richmond, Va., apartment complex where he lived and disappeared. Four days later, the child’s body was found nine miles from his home floating in the James River, fully clothed with his arms folded across his chest, The New York Times reported.
Forensic experts at the time told the police that the toddler had semen in the back of his throat and determined that he had been strangled during a sexual assault. Alcohol and a muscle relaxant were found in his blood, according to court documents obtained by The New York Times.
Grimm, a Navy vet, lived across the hall from the child’s family and reportedly argued with the victim’s family over the toddler’s toys, The New York Times reported.
Grimm, who was married, and had his first child 10 days before his arrest, The New York Times reported.
In December 1975, a month after the boy was found, cops arrested Grimm and he confessed to the crime, according to reports.
Evidence at the time such as hair discovered in Grimm’s car and coat were said to be those of the victim, as well as his confession linked Grimm to the crime.
Grimm was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, plus 10 years. He served 44 years in prison and was released in 2019.
However, nearly 50 years after the guilty plea, in May 2023, Grimm filed a writ of actual innocence, claiming that the evidence brought against him, and his confession were all coerced.
Through new research, none of the hairs belonged to the victim but came from several people. Grimm’s DNA was nowhere to be found in swabs from the victim’s body, The New York Times reported.
DNA and other scientific analysis performed between 2002 and 2023 demonstrated that the evidence the Commonwealth relied upon to convict Grimm was invalid, Attorney General Miyares said in support Grimm’s exoneration.
