BOSTON (WHDH) - After nearly four decades behind bars, a Roslindale man convicted of killing a cab driver was granted his freedom Tuesday.
Frederick Clay, who was 16-years-old at the time, was convicted in 1981 of first-degree murder for fatally shooting 28-year-old cab driver Jeffrey Boyajian.
Clay maintained his innocence for decades, making numerous appeals. In a stunning turn of events, he walked free out of Suffolk Superior Court after the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office granted his release.
“It’s been a long time coming. It’s been 38 years for something I didn’t do,” Clay said. “I’m kind of overwhelmed and sort of nervous.”
Officials re-investigated the case and concluded that “justice may not have been done” at Clay’s trial, DA Daniel Conley said.
Clay said he was satisfied that the victim’s family acknowledged his innocence. Clay plans to join a transitional program to readjust himself with society.
Conley’s office filed a formal notice of abandonment, officially ending further prosecution of Clay.
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