"48 Hours" investigates the claims and stunning allegations behind Vincent Simmons' conviction
CBSN
Vincent Simmons was released from a Louisiana prison in February after serving 44 years for attempted aggravated rape of twin sisters. He says he didn't do it – but the sisters say he's guilty. Are the sisters telling the truth or was this a lie to protect a family secret? "48 Hours" contributor David Begnaud investigates the case against Simmons and hears for the first time from a woman who says she knows the truth. [From "THE FARM"] BOARD MEMBER [to other board members]: In 20 years, I'd come up with something too. BOARD MEMBER: Mr. Simmons after listening to testimony and going over the reports the board has voted at this time to deny your request for parole. KAREN TO VINCENT: We came today not to free you from your prison, but to free us from our prison. SHARON SANDERS: What are you doing here then? Since you're innocent, what are you doing here? DANA BROUILLETTE [to Brian Andrews]: He came out and told me. There was never a Black man. DANA BROUILLETTE [to Brian Andrews]: He had gone down Little California Road and he locked Sharon in the trunk, and he said the sex between him and Karen was consensual. He said but the other one was a little hellcat. … That's the one that put the scratches on his neck. DANA BROUILLETTE [to Brian Andrews]: I maybe should have come forward a long time ago … I really did think the man got released. JUSTIN BONUS [in court to Simmons]: You're free, brother. KAREN SANDERS [in the courtroom]: He went in guilty. He is guilty now. And guess what? He will die guilty. So, I'm, I'm happy. I got 44 years.
For identical twins Karen and Sharon Sanders, life is broken into two parts: before May 1977 — and after. They say what happened one night that May changed everything. VINCENT SIMMONS [addressing board members: We didn't have none of this evidence. None of this evidence was presented before the jury. ANOTHER BOARD MEMBER: Oh yes, yes — he did it. Ain't no doubt in my mind. SHARON TO VINCENT: Today I am closing the door to my pain. … I'm letting go. VINCENT SIMMONS: Y'all put me here.
Karen Sanders: Every time I talk about it, it makes me feel like I'm 14 again. BOARD MEMBER: You were the only one handcuffed in the lineup? When the time came for Vincent to speak, he had questions. SHARON SANDERS: We did? No, a choice that you chose to make put you here.
The Federal Trade Commission asked a federal judge on Wednesday to delay a trial in a case accusing Amazon of using deceptive practices in its Prime subscription program, citing staffing and budgetary challenges at the government agency.
Oliver Miller, a beefy center who helped Arkansas advance to the Final Four before playing nine seasons in the NBA, has died. He was 54.
Nevada prosecutors say 20 people have been charged in connection with a brawl at a maximum-security prison in eastern Nevada last year in which three inmates were killed and others were injured.
The nominee for a top Justice Department job has left a digital trail of deleted social media posts that his critics say suggest fringe views on a number of issues, including an openness to defying court orders and acceptance of arranged marriages under certain circumstances.
Prosecutors say Bryan Kohberger's defense team will argue at his murder trial that someone else could have planted a knife sheath with Kohberger's DNA at the home where four University of Idaho students were killed in 2022.
Waterbury, Conn. — A Connecticut man who said he was held captive for 20 years was rescued after setting fire to his room and telling first responders he did it to gain his freedom, police said Wednesday.
Robert Morris, founding pastor of Gateway Church, a megachurch in Southlake, Texas, has been indicted on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child, stemming from alleged incidents dating back to the 1980s, the Oklahoma attorney general's office announced Wednesday. We are aware of the actions being taken by the legal authorities in Oklahoma and are grateful for the work of the justice system in holding abusers accountable for their actions. We continue to pray for Cindy Clemishire and her family, for the members and staff of Gateway Church, and for all of those impacted by this terrible situation.
President Trump has pardoned a former Republican Tennessee lawmaker who was two weeks into a 21-month prison sentence for an illegal campaign finance scheme that he pleaded guilty to in 2022, before he tried unsuccessfully to take back his plea.
The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil , a green card holder and former Columbia University student involved in pro-Palestinian campus protests in 2024, is raising questions about the rights of permanent residents in the United States.
Sweeping 25% tariffs on all U.S. steel and aluminum imports could cause a rise in prices for a wide range of products including cars and washing machines and other consumer goods, as well as components used in manufacturing and construction, such as nails.
Washington — Less than two months since President Trump's inauguration, the Republican-led Senate has confirmed nearly every one of his Cabinet nominees.
The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday said it would "formally reconsider" a landmark 2009 finding by the agency that greenhouse gases are a danger to public health.
Another norovirus outbreak sickened passengers on board the cruise ship Coral Princess in February, marking the second outbreak this year on the ocean liner operated by Princess Cruises, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.