Man, Who Spent 12 Years Behind Bars After Being Wrongfully Convicted, Killed in Hit-and-Run
A man killed in a hit-and-run in Los Angeles on Thursday was identified as Andrew Mallard, who spent 12 years in prison for a crime he reportedly did not commit.
A statement from the Los Angeles Police Department said that a hit-and-run occurred around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday when a car traveling east on Sunset Boulevard crashed into a man walking south on Formosa Avenue.
According to the LAPD, the Los Angeles Fire Department arrived to treat the victim, but he died of his injuries.
The police statement added that the driver of the vehicle did not stop, and continued to flee east on Sunset.
The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office confirmed to PEOPLE that the man was subsequently identified as Mallard, 56.
Surveillance footage obtained by KABC appears to show Mallard buying cigarettes and talking to the clerk inside of a liquor store right before the fatal accident.
The West Australian reported that Mallard was living in Los Angeles with his fiancée.
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In 1995, Mallard was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of jewelry shop owner Pamela Lawrence, according to CNN. He was later the subject of the documentary Saving Andrew Mallard.
Mallard was exonerated and released from prison in 2006, as a police review of the case implicated another man with the murder of Lawrence.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Mallard accepted a $3.25 million settlement from the Western Australian government in 2009.
The LAPD is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information about the hit-and-run. Anyone with information is urged to call LAPD detectives at (213) 473-0234 or (877) 527-3247.
