Detroit Fire Commissioner Charles Simms has finally confirmed the authenticity of a video interview with Mario Willis, a man wrongly convicted of murdering a firefighter in 2008. The video, which was recorded eight months after the fire, shows Simms verifying aspects of Willis's alibi, but only after being prompted by his lawyer and an assistant prosecutor.
The revelation came during a hearing for Willis, who has long maintained that he is innocent of the crime. The case against him relied heavily on testimony from Darian Dove, who claimed that Mario Willis had paid him to start the fire. However, Dove later recanted his statement, saying that Detroit Police detectives threatened him into making the claim.
The video confirms that Simms had interviewed Willie's wife Megan, and that Willie had told him about their activities on the night of the fire. The interview was recorded on a police disc labeled "Megan," but it was never played for the jury during Willis's trial.
Simms has maintained his silence on the case until now, despite repeated requests to discuss the video with investigators. In 2022, Metro Times began investigating Willis's claims of innocence, and Simms was asked for details about the footage, but he refused to be interviewed.
The confirmation of the video interview is significant because it could undermine the prosecution's case against Mario Willis. The prosecution had rested its case on the testimony of Detective Scott Shea, who claimed that neither Willis nor his wife had an alibi for the night of the fire.
Willis and his lawyers have long argued that the prosecution withheld evidence in their investigation into Willis's claim of innocence. The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office Conviction Integrity Unit reviewed Willis's case in 2023 but denied his request for exoneration.
The latest development in the case is a possible Brady violation, which occurs when prosecutors hide evidence that could help a defendant. Simms's confirmation of the video interview and his earlier refusal to discuss it with investigators have raised questions about whether he was withholding information from the investigation.
The revelation came during a hearing for Willis, who has long maintained that he is innocent of the crime. The case against him relied heavily on testimony from Darian Dove, who claimed that Mario Willis had paid him to start the fire. However, Dove later recanted his statement, saying that Detroit Police detectives threatened him into making the claim.
The video confirms that Simms had interviewed Willie's wife Megan, and that Willie had told him about their activities on the night of the fire. The interview was recorded on a police disc labeled "Megan," but it was never played for the jury during Willis's trial.
Simms has maintained his silence on the case until now, despite repeated requests to discuss the video with investigators. In 2022, Metro Times began investigating Willis's claims of innocence, and Simms was asked for details about the footage, but he refused to be interviewed.
The confirmation of the video interview is significant because it could undermine the prosecution's case against Mario Willis. The prosecution had rested its case on the testimony of Detective Scott Shea, who claimed that neither Willis nor his wife had an alibi for the night of the fire.
Willis and his lawyers have long argued that the prosecution withheld evidence in their investigation into Willis's claim of innocence. The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office Conviction Integrity Unit reviewed Willis's case in 2023 but denied his request for exoneration.
The latest development in the case is a possible Brady violation, which occurs when prosecutors hide evidence that could help a defendant. Simms's confirmation of the video interview and his earlier refusal to discuss it with investigators have raised questions about whether he was withholding information from the investigation.
oh man this guy Mario Willis has been through so much already! 8 years since he was wrongly convicted, it's crazy that it took so long for his alibi to be verified like that video interview with Simms is HUGE 
and I'm glad he has people fighting for him like his lawyers do. The fact that the prosecution withheld evidence from the investigation is just not cool 
and now this could be a possible Brady violation which means he might finally get justice! 
Fingers crossed that he gets exonerated soon 
. It's wild how the cops kept this evidence under wraps all these years, it just goes to show you how hard it can be to get justice in a system like this 
. I mean, Darian Dove saying he was threatened by detectives is super suspicious, and now we know Simms knew about it too 
. It's not looking good for the prosecution if they had all this evidence but didn't use it, that's just shady 
.
And now it's clear that there was some major withholding of evidence going on. Like, the prosecution had this video interview with Simms but never played it for the jury... That's just shady, you know? 
Anyway, I'm all for justice being served and Mario Willis finally getting his day in court 
. This whole thing is a total game-changer 
.
i feel so bad for him, 17 yrs in prison is just cruel... and what's up with all these inconsistencies in his trial? like dude was supposed to be innocent but then suddenly he pays someone to set fire? doesn't add up... and now that they've found this video, maybe justice will finally be served 
it just feels like another case of the system failing someone. what if simms really was hiding something? or what if he genuinely didn't remember until now? either way, this is a huge development and i'm not convinced that justice will be served 
The fact that the Detroit Fire Commissioner was only prompted to verify aspects of his alibi by his lawyer and an assistant prosecutor is crazy! 
It shows there was definitely some level of obstruction going on. And now, with this video interview coming out, it's like they're trying to cover their tracks? 
The fact that the prosecution had him convicted without even playing this footage for the jury is just...ugh 
the fact that Simms was prompted by his lawyer and an assistant prosecutor to verify Mario's alibi after all these years just blows my mind. I mean, what else have they been holding back? And the whole thing about Detective Shea's testimony... it's like, we need a full investigation into this whole case ASAP! 
this whole thing just got a lot more interesting and i need to know more about what really went down. did simms have any idea that willis was innocent the whole time?! 
. This whole situation is so frustrating for Mario and his family, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this new development brings them closure 
. Maybe now, finally, justice will be served 
!
He's finally come clean after all these years, and it's like a big ol' weight's been lifted off Mario Willis's shoulders. But still, this whole thing stinks of something being off. The prosecution's case relies heavily on that testimony from Darian Dove, and now we know he was coerced into making those claims... that's some sketchy stuff right there 
i mean, willis has been saying he's innocent for like 17 years now and people have been doubting him 
can you even believe it?!?! this whole thing is just so messed up