Witness admits error in 2008 Cleveland murder conviction

Clifshell Stevenson recanted her testimony in a 2008 homicide case during an evidentiary hearing in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court on Tuesday. Stevenson, now 30, told the court that her original identification of Roberto Wynn as the shooter was not truthful. She stated she did not see Wynn fire a gun but instead saw him running for cover.

Stevenson testified that she felt pressured by Cleveland police and a family member to name Wynn. She was 13 years old when she first provided testimony in the case. She said she has felt guilty about her initial statements for years. She described feeling as if her spirit had been under attack since the events transpired.

Wynn was convicted of the fatal shooting of Christopher Basie. Basie died in a drive-by shooting on Parmelee Avenue. Cuyahoga County prosecutors argued that Stevenson is not a credible witness. They noted that three other witnesses with similar accounts also identified Wynn as the shooter.

Judge Jeffrey Saffold said he will review all available evidence. He will rule on whether Wynn should be granted a new trial. Saffold granted Wynn's attorney permission to file a motion for a new trial after a July attorney conference. That conference occurred the same day a News 5 investigation into the case aired.

The investigation revealed that Wynn had waited more than two years for a ruling on his motion. The Ohio Innocence Project filed a motion requesting a hearing to present new evidence in 2024. That request sat on Judge Saffold's docket for over two years. Stevenson had signed a letter recanting her testimony in 2022. In that letter, she wrote that she blamed Wynn for a shooting he did not commit and was sure he did not have a gun.

Wynn spoke by phone from prison to News 5 Investigator Sarah Buduson. He described his anxiety and excitement about the hearing. He said his life is in the balance and that he wants his freedom back. His father, Ronnie Wynn, said the family feels locked up along with him. His mother, Carla Butler, said she views the recantation as her prayers being answered.

Michael Donnelly, a former Cuyahoga County Common Pleas judge, noted that delays in innocence cases are common. He called it a systemic problem rather than the fault of one judge. Donnelly, who is now an adjunct law professor at Cleveland State University, created Ohio Court Watch to increase transparency. He said safeguards like the right to a speedy trial do not exist in post-conviction proceedings.

News 5 investigators found 28 cases in Cuyahoga County since 2014 where motions for a new trial were open longer than 120 days. That is the standard set by the Ohio Supreme Court. A proposed state law, H.B. 177, would require judges to hold a hearing when credible new evidence appears. The bill was introduced in March 2025 but has not received a hearing in the Ohio House Judiciary Committee.