Until few weeks ago, 35-year-old Olajuwan Herbert was a man who had lost hope as he had been incarcerated for 11 years with his plea of innocence found unbelievable, even while in prison. At the time he received a life-sentence in 2015 after a jury found him guilty of the murder of 28-year-old Harold Claudio, Olajuwan was 24 years old
Olajuwan was arrested and charged thirteen and a half years ago for shooting Harold Claudio to death in Newark, an incident that authorities alleged took place at 8.42 pm on June 9, 2012. He was tried in 2014, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison.
And he was destined to spend his lifetime in prison until he met a Nigerian legal practitioner, Bukkie Adetula, who appealed the matter and several years later, his sentence and conviction were overturned by an appellate court in New Jersey, and a new trial was ordered.
His new trial began with the impaneling of a new jury in December 2025. His defense attorney, Adetula, argued that Olajuwan was in his apartment complex building on the other side of the city at the time the shots were being fired and that his client was framed by the state’s witness.
Adetula backed his arguments up with recorded video footage of his client at his apartment complex on the day and the exact time of the alleged shooting.
The jury deliberated for about five hours before reaching and announcing its verdict. The verdict returned at the end of a retrial, it acquitted and exonerated him of all charges, which included murder and weapons offences.
Herbert’s attorney, Olubukola Adetula, said the key evidence that led to the new verdict was surveillance footage that placed Herbert at his apartment building at the exact same time of the shooting.
Adetula also claimed that detectives reviewed that same footage during the 2012 investigation and showed it to his girlfriend, who positively identified the person in the video as Herbert.
“You could see him on video at 8:42 p.m., at the time of the shooting, and the shooting was 25 minutes away. As far as we are concerned, the state knew he was not at the shooting. They had to know. They had all the videos,” the lawyer said.
Herbert was identified as the shooter by two witnesses at the original trial. The two men knew each other, but prosecutors never established a motive.
And few weeks ago, an Essex County, New Jersey Superior Court Jury found Olajuwan Herbert not guilty of Murder and weapons-related charges arising
Upon Olajuwan’s acquittal, Judge Marysol Rosero, who presided over the trial, ordered Olajuwan’s release after almost fourteen years in custody.
“He had no interest in plea bargaining and continued to maintain his innocence. He has from day one and continued until the very last day,” Adetula said.
Herbert has since become inspired to pursue a career in law.
“He’s a very determined individual and I hope that he’ll be able to achieve the goal of someday becoming a lawyer and representing clients who have gone through the same experience he went through,” Adetula said.