Curtis Flowers charges dropped after nearly 23 years in prison

WINONA, MISS. (WCBI) – After nearly 23 years in prison Curtis Flowers is tonight a free man.

All charges have been dropped.

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office made the announcement less than an hour ago.

The Winona man has faced six trials, 4 resulting in death sentences and more than 2 decades behind bars for the Tardy Furniture Store shootings in 1996.

It happened early one morning. Winona police officers found the bodies of Bertha Tardy, Derrick “Bobo” Stewart, Robert Golden, and Carmen Rigby shot execution style.

It didn’t take long for suspicion to land on former Tardy employee Curtis Flowers.

But over the years and throughout the trials, dozens of jurors and witnesses changed their testimony.

The case has been overturned more than once and ruled as a mistrial.

The US Supreme Court stepped in last summer, overturning Flowers’ conviction.

He was released on bond in December, his first time outside of a cell in years.

District Attorney Doug Evans, who prosecuted Flowers all 6 times, recused himself. The case has been with the state Ag’s office until today’s announcement.

The case is now dismissed with prejudice. That means he can never be charged with this crime again.

In the motion, the attorney general states there are no key prosecution witnesses alive and available who have not had multiple, conflicting statements in the record.

Flowers has always maintained his innocence.

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