NEW YORK (KFOR) - Ali Meyer and News 4 received an Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award Wednesday night for the coverage of the wrongful conviction of Glynn Simmons. Simmons served 48 years, one month and 18 days for a murder he did not commit. It’s a story News 4 has been covering in depth for 20 years. In 2003, News 4 started reporting in-depth on Simmons’ questionable conviction. On December 19, 2023, Simmons asked a judge to declare him innocent of the Edmond Liquor Store Murder of 1974. On the night of the murder, December 30, 1974, Simmons wasn’t even in the State of Oklahoma. GOOD NEWS!: KFOR Team honored as finalist for duPont Columbia Award Simmons pleaded not-guilty to the crime; he has always maintained his innocence. After nearly 50 years of defeats, Simmons and his legal team finally won. From the bench, Judge Palumbo read her order aloud, finding “by clear and convincing evidence that the offense for which Mr. Simmons was convicted, sentenced and imprisoned…. was not committed by Mr. Glynn Simmons.” Ali Meyer and News 4 receive Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award. Simmons now has a legal distinction few ever receive: actually innocent. On Wednesday, January 22, 2025, Meyer and News 4 received a duPont-Columbia award for the extensive coverage. Simmons planned to be there, but was in New Orleans and due to weather, was unable to make it. Related Coverage: Special Report: The Wrong Man ‘I’m a free man’: Glynn Simmons exonerated after 48-year-long murder conviction Glynn Simmons, America’s longest serving exoneree, sues cities and detectives involved in wrongful conviction