A Maryland man who spent over three decades behind bars—ten of those years on death row—for a crime he did not commit is suing five former law enforcement officials, alleging misconduct that cost him his freedom, family, and future.
John Huffington, 62, was fully pardoned in January 2023 by then-Governor Larry Hogan, who cited clear prosecutorial misconduct in the handling of a 1981 double homicide in Harford County. Last year, under Governor Wes Moore, a state board approved $2.9 million in compensation for Huffington following the pardon.
“It took many, many painful years, but the truth eventually came out,” Huffington said in a statement Thursday. Arrested at age 18, he lamented that both his parents died without ever seeing his name cleared. “Those years stole everything from me — my relationships, the chance to have a family, the ability to be with my mother when she passed, and precious time with my father, who had Alzheimer’s by the time I was released.”
Huffington was finally freed from the Patuxent Institution in 2013 after serving 32 years of two life sentences. He had always maintained his innocence.
The case, widely known as the “Memorial Day Murders,” involved the killing of Diane Becker, who was found stabbed inside her RV while her young son remained unharmed, and Joseph Hudson, Becker’s boyfriend, who was shot and found nearby. Another man convicted in the case testified against Huffington and served 27 years.
A key part of the prosecution’s case was expert testimony claiming that hair found at the scene matched Huffington’s—evidence later debunked. A 2011 Washington Post investigation revealed that the FBI had produced a report in 1999 discrediting the hair analysis, but the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office never disclosed it to Huffington’s defense. DNA testing conducted years later confirmed the hair did not belong to Huffington.
In 2013, a Frederick County judge vacated his convictions and ordered a new trial. Maryland’s highest court disbarred Harford County State’s Attorney Joseph Cassilly in 2021 for withholding exculpatory evidence and lying about it for years. Cassilly, who had retired in 2019 and denied wrongdoing, died in January.
His brother, Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly, defended him, saying, “Joe was a decorated war hero and dedicated public servant who can no longer defend himself. Most of the defendants named in this lawsuit are deceased, and Harford County government had no role in employing them.”
The lawsuit, filed July 15 in federal court in Baltimore, names Cassilly, assistant state’s attorney Gerard Comen, and three former sheriff’s office detectives: David Saneman, William Van Horn, and Wesley J. Picha. Of those, only Saneman is still alive. He declined to comment when contacted by The Washington Post.
The lawsuit accuses the former officials of violating Huffington’s civil rights through malicious prosecution, fabricated evidence, and failure to disclose exculpatory materials.
“This is about accountability,” Huffington said. “I lost everything because of their actions—and the public deserves to know what was done in their name.”
