The phrase “You had to be there” comes to mind.
But since most of us weren’t, take it from John Torres, FLORIDA TODAY engagement editor, and photographer Tim Shortt: The day wrongly convicted Jeffrey Abramowski walked out of a courtroom a free man, after 23 years in prison, was full of unforgettable moments. One of them was captured in this Photo of the Week.
Abramowski had been convicted of killing 78-year-old Courtney “Dick” Crandall in his Palm Shores mobile home in 2002.
This wonderful photograph of a jubilant and relieved Jamie LeBlanc hugging her dad perfectly depicts the feelings shared by many after all charges against him were dismissed by the state July 7, Torres said.
“I covered his sentencing in 2006 and later dove into the case for Season 4 of my Murder on the Space Coast podcast,” he said. “It was then, doing my research, that I discovered numerous problems with the case. I started to believe Abramowski was innocent of the charges and had been wrongfully prosecuted.”
Photographer Tim Shortt first met Abramowski when he and Torres interviewed him in prison at Martin Correctional Institution in 2016.
“I saw so much anguish and frustration on his face on that day as he described his case. Seeing the relief and joyful faces this week was such a contrast,” Shortt said.
“When I took this photo, it had still not fully registered with him that he was truly a free man. Jamie never stopped believing that he would see this day.”
This may, Torres said, “have been the most gratifying day of my journalism career.”
“Over the years, I have spoken and seen Jamie often. I know personally the pain and anguish she has suffered watching her father spend more than two decades behind bars,” he said.
“She never lost faith, however, and this photo shows that special bond between father and daughter.”
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard man, cleared of charges, free to share a hug and the future | Photo of the Week
Reporting by Britt Kennerly, Florida Today / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
