CAMDEN COUNTY, GEORGIA: Mary Cure, the grieving Florida mother of Leonard Cure, a man who had been exonerated after 16 years of incarceration, is determined to seek justice for her son's tragic death at the hands of Georgia Deputy Buck Aldridge during a traffic halt on Monday, October 16.
During a heart-wrenching press conference organized by renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump, Mary expressed her profound grief and unwavering determination to seek answers for the untimely death of her beloved son adding, "I hate Georgia."
Heartbroken Mary Cure's emotional plea for justice
Through tearful words, she conveyed her anguish, stating, "Sorry, but this is my baby. And I want justice for him... My heart is disconnected, and my soul aches," reported FCN.
Her plea for justice resonates with the countless mothers who have suffered the loss of their loved ones in violent police encounters.
Cure's life took a tragic turn during a seemingly routine traffic stop when he was confronted by Camden County Sheriff's Deputy Buck Aldridge.
Accused of reckless driving and speeding, the situation escalated rapidly, leading to a fatal confrontation.
Disturbing video footage released by the Sheriff's Office captures how Leonard Cure argued with the cop and resisted arrest for speeding, which escalated into a tense confrontation. The video then depicts the deployment of a taser and ultimately the fatal gunshot, resulting in his tragic death.
Deputy Buck Aldridge's troubling past
The investigation into Deputy Aldridge's history as a law enforcement officer revealed a troubling incident from 2017. At that time, he was fired from his position at the Kingsland Police Department in southern Georgia due to a disturbing altercation involving the physical mistreatment of a woman during a traffic stop.
A the time Mary, who had not seen the footage said, "I don’t know what happened out there but I can tell you this there was nothing so bad that he deserved to die." Also her last conversation with Leonard, who had visited her in Florida just days before the incident, remains etched in her memory as a poignant farewell. "Then he said, 'I love you and I'll see you soon.' That's the last I heard from him," she stated.
Leonard Cure's journey to exoneration
Cure's wrongful conviction stemmed from a 2003 armed robbery at a Walgreens pharmacy in Dania Beach, Florida. His conviction was a result of a second jury trial after the first had resulted in a deadlock.
Due to previous convictions for robbery and other offenses, Cure had received a life sentence. In December 2019, Cure sought the assistance of the newly established Broward State Attorney's Office Conviction Review Unit to re-examine his case.
The unit had uncovered unsettling revelations, including the dismissal of solid alibis and the absence of physical evidence or credible witnesses placing Cure at the scene of the crime.
An independent review panel, consisting of five lawyers, concluded that the case against Cure gave rise to reasonable doubt regarding his culpability, ultimately leading to his exoneration
A judge nullified Cure's convictions and sentence, and just three days later, all charges against him were dismissed. This historic exoneration marked the first case in which an inmate had been cleared by Broward's review unit.
In August of this year, he received $817,000 in compensation for his wrongful conviction and imprisonment, with the approval of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
