Philly Man Acts As Own Lawyer & Gets Himself Acquitted Of 2006 Murder

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A Philadelphia Man Acted As His Own Lawyer & Got Himself Acquitted For A Murder He Didn’t Commit

According to Philly.com, Hassan Bennett showed you how to take the law into your own hands.

Bennett fought to the end for nearly 13 years and four trials to prove his innocence after being accused of orchestrating the murder of a friend over a $20 dice game back in September 2006. The two witnesses who said Bennett was the shooter later recanted their statements, saying that detectives made them lie.

Representing himself in his actual jail uniform without the help of any attorneys or legal guidance (and with a mandatory life sentence hanging over his head) the 36-year-old Bennett did the impossible. Bennett was acquitted of murder after the jury deliberated for 81 minutes.

“I stayed in the [prison] law library. I read every book I got my hands on, whether it was law work or history,” he said. “And I would practice and review other lawyers’ writings, then I would write. My biggest hurdle was overcoming the naysayers and the myths.”

When asked what he plans to do with his freedom, he shed light on his new mission:

“I want to do some motivational speaking and spread legal knowledge. That’s my game plan. I want to network and go to rec centers, schools,” he said. “I want to help other people that are innocent and help other people understand their rights, especially people from my neighborhood. So, I have a lot of work to do.”