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Louisiana man sentenced to life is freed after 40 years

The family of Manning's alleged victim advocated for his release. The defense filing noted Manning had the support of all of the victim's surviving family members.

A Monroe man jailed for 41 years on a charge of attempted aggravated rape and second degree murder will be released from jail.

A case from the 1970s involving George Manning, age 59, was taken on by the Innocence Project several years ago.

In April, the organization filed an application for post-conviction relief, arguing DNA testing exonerated Manning and that an initial investigation into the incident by Monroe Police was flawed.

The family of Manning's alleged victim, Vonda Harris, advocated for his release. The defense filing noted Manning had the support of all of the victim's surviving family members.

On Monday, Manning's release was not granted due to the new information. Instead, a law change paved the way for a reconsideration of sentence..

In 2012, the Louisiana Supreme Court found Louisiana's mandatory life imprisonment for those who commit homicide while under the age of 18 was unconstitutional.

The Louisiana Legislature then revised the sentencing and parole statutes to allow anyone who commits homicide while under the age of 18 to be sentenced to life with the eligibility to apply for parole after serving 25 years. As of June 18, Manning has been in custody for 41 years.

On April 27, the Louisiana Supreme Court ordered defendants like Manning be given the benefit of this new legislation. Based upon the current sentencing and parole laws that are applicable to Manning and the request of the Harris family, District Attorney Steve Tew consented.

According to the DA's office, Manning was resentenced and is eligible for release as soon as the necessary paperwork is completed.

Manning's application for post-conviction relief was filed by attorney Kristin Wenstrom of the Louisiana Center for Children's Rights.

The center said Manning entered an “Alford plea” to lesser crimes, allowing him to maintain his innocence while accepting the new charges. He was resentenced to time-served for the decades he spent in prison.

Wenstrom said the result is bittersweet in a prepared statement.

“I am thrilled that Gerald’s wrongful incarceration is finally being brought to an end, and that he will soon be reunited with his loving family," Wenstrom said. "Gerald was an innocent child who had his life robbed from him. He deserves to be fully exonerated, but this compromise allowed him to be released today rather than forcing him to wait years in prison while we fight in court.”

A freedom fund has been set up at Mighty Cause with a $5,000 goal to help Manning following his release.

The Case

Vonda Harris was murdered on the morning of February 21 in the Booker T. neighborhood in Monroe. She had attended a dance at the American Legion Hall the previous night and argued with an ex-boyfriend who attended the dance with another woman.

She left alone and was last seen alive by a neighbor who saw her walking on Powell Street around 12:30 a.m. Her body was found between 11 a.m. and noon behind a vacant home on Beale Street.

Harris was completely naked with her girdle and panty hose dangling around her feet. Her hands were tied behind her back with her bra.

She was stabbed three times and hit over the head with an 18-inch two-by-four. A coroner determined Harris was raped.

During a five-month investigation, the Monroe Police Department identified 25 potential suspects and relied heavily on lie detector tests to rule out suspects, including one man who told multiple people he had killed people in Monroe and a man who failed to show up for court the day of the death and was found with blood on his shoes.

The application states Manning was questioned six months after the death and was a high school student at the time of the murder.

"Gerald Manning, an intellectually impaired, suggestible teenager, described by a psychiatrist at the time as 'exquisitely naive,' was a pawn used by the Monroe Police Department to close a six-month-old murder case that the citizens of Monroe were demanding be solved," it continues.

Manning was reportedly interrogated for 28.5 of the 33 hours immediately following his arrest. He gave multiple and varied confessions during that time period.

According to the report, Manning did not know Harris or her family. His case went to trial, and he was later found guilty of attempted aggravated rape, a reduction in charge from an aggravated rape indictment, and second-degree murder.

His original sentence was 20 years for the attempted rape charge and life for second-degree murder.

The application states that the family of Harris has suffered for the past 40 years with the collective belief that her murder has never been solved and, instead, an innocent man was wrongfully imprisoned.

Per the court filing, DNA testing proves the claim. In recent tests, Manning was eliminated as a possible contributor to the biological material left on the murder weapon and the clothing removed by the perpetrator.

The defense also argued that Manning believed if he told detectives what they wanted, he would be allowed to go home and that his intellectual impairment led to him guessing answers to law enforcement questions instead of saying he did not know the answers.

The application requested that Manning's sentence be overturned.

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