Leonard Cure: 16 Years Wrongfully Imprisoned Then Killed During a Traffic Stop
Leonard Allan Cure spent more than 16 years in a Florida prison for an armed robbery he did not commit.
His convictions were ultimately vacated, and in December 2020 the charges against him were dropped after a conviction-review process found evidence supporting his actual innocence.
Cure was 53 when his life took another devastating turn.
On October 16, 2023, a Camden County, Georgia sheriff's deputy, Buck Aldridge, stopped him on Interstate 95 near the Georgia–Florida border for speeding/reckless driving.
According to investigators, Cure initially complied with the deputy's commands. When he was told he was being arrested, the situation escalated. The deputy used a Taser, then a baton, and ultimately fired his handgun during the physical struggle. Cure died at the scene.
The incident became especially controversial because of Aldridge's previous employment record.
Aldridge had been fired by the Kingsland Police Department in 2017 after multiple disciplinary incidents involving excessive force. Personnel records show that Camden County hired him approximately nine months later.
Cure's family argued that Aldridge should never have been rehired and filed a federal wrongful-death lawsuit seeking more than $16 million. Aldridge and former Sheriff Jim Proctor denied the allegations.
But there is an important part of the story that shouldn't be left out.
After reviewing body-camera footage and the investigative evidence, Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Keith Higgins decided in February 2025 that Aldridge would not face criminal charges for Cure's death. Higgins said the use of deadly force was objectively reasonable because Cure was overpowering the deputy at the moment he was shot.
However, the controversy surrounding Aldridge did not end there.
In August 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Aldridge on 13 counts involving alleged civil-rights violations and falsification of records stemming from other incidents between 2021 and 2023. Those federal charges do not include Cure's death.
So the facts are complicated:
Leonard Cure was wrongfully imprisoned for 16 years.
He was exonerated and began rebuilding his life.
Three years later, he was killed during a Georgia traffic stop.
The deputy who killed him had previously been fired for excessive force.
No criminal charges were filed against Aldridge over Cure's death.
And Cure's family has continued pursuing accountability through the courts.
Leonard Cure deserved the chance to live the life that was taken from him twice.
Remember his name.
This post is intended for documentary and educational purposes. The circumstances of the shooting and the allegations against the deputy should be understood in light of the official investigation, court filings, and the family's claims.
#LeonardCure #JusticeForLeonardCure #WrongfulConviction #CriminalJustice #PoliceAccountability #BlackHistory #Documentary
Leonard Allan Cure spent more than 16 years in a Florida prison for an armed robbery he did not commit.
His convictions were ultimately vacated, and in December 2020 the charges against him were dropped after a conviction-review process found evidence supporting his actual innocence.
Cure was 53 when his life took another devastating turn.
On October 16, 2023, a Camden County, Georgia sheriff's deputy, Buck Aldridge, stopped him on Interstate 95 near the Georgia–Florida border for speeding/reckless driving.
According to investigators, Cure initially complied with the deputy's commands. When he was told he was being arrested, the situation escalated. The deputy used a Taser, then a baton, and ultimately fired his handgun during the physical struggle. Cure died at the scene.
The incident became especially controversial because of Aldridge's previous employment record.
Aldridge had been fired by the Kingsland Police Department in 2017 after multiple disciplinary incidents involving excessive force. Personnel records show that Camden County hired him approximately nine months later.
Cure's family argued that Aldridge should never have been rehired and filed a federal wrongful-death lawsuit seeking more than $16 million. Aldridge and former Sheriff Jim Proctor denied the allegations.
But there is an important part of the story that shouldn't be left out.
After reviewing body-camera footage and the investigative evidence, Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Keith Higgins decided in February 2025 that Aldridge would not face criminal charges for Cure's death. Higgins said the use of deadly force was objectively reasonable because Cure was overpowering the deputy at the moment he was shot.
However, the controversy surrounding Aldridge did not end there.
In August 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Aldridge on 13 counts involving alleged civil-rights violations and falsification of records stemming from other incidents between 2021 and 2023. Those federal charges do not include Cure's death.
So the facts are complicated:
Leonard Cure was wrongfully imprisoned for 16 years.
He was exonerated and began rebuilding his life.
Three years later, he was killed during a Georgia traffic stop.
The deputy who killed him had previously been fired for excessive force.
No criminal charges were filed against Aldridge over Cure's death.
And Cure's family has continued pursuing accountability through the courts.
Leonard Cure deserved the chance to live the life that was taken from him twice.
Remember his name.
This post is intended for documentary and educational purposes. The circumstances of the shooting and the allegations against the deputy should be understood in light of the official investigation, court filings, and the family's claims.
#LeonardCure #JusticeForLeonardCure #WrongfulConviction #CriminalJustice #PoliceAccountability #BlackHistory #Documentary
Leonard Cure: 16 Years Wrongfully Imprisoned Then Killed During a Traffic Stop
Leonard Allan Cure spent more than 16 years in a Florida prison for an armed robbery he did not commit.
His convictions were ultimately vacated, and in December 2020 the charges against him were dropped after a conviction-review process found evidence supporting his actual innocence.
Cure was 53 when his life took another devastating turn.
On October 16, 2023, a Camden County, Georgia sheriff's deputy, Buck Aldridge, stopped him on Interstate 95 near the Georgia–Florida border for speeding/reckless driving.
According to investigators, Cure initially complied with the deputy's commands. When he was told he was being arrested, the situation escalated. The deputy used a Taser, then a baton, and ultimately fired his handgun during the physical struggle. Cure died at the scene.
The incident became especially controversial because of Aldridge's previous employment record.
Aldridge had been fired by the Kingsland Police Department in 2017 after multiple disciplinary incidents involving excessive force. Personnel records show that Camden County hired him approximately nine months later.
Cure's family argued that Aldridge should never have been rehired and filed a federal wrongful-death lawsuit seeking more than $16 million. Aldridge and former Sheriff Jim Proctor denied the allegations.
But there is an important part of the story that shouldn't be left out.
After reviewing body-camera footage and the investigative evidence, Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Keith Higgins decided in February 2025 that Aldridge would not face criminal charges for Cure's death. Higgins said the use of deadly force was objectively reasonable because Cure was overpowering the deputy at the moment he was shot.
However, the controversy surrounding Aldridge did not end there.
In August 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Aldridge on 13 counts involving alleged civil-rights violations and falsification of records stemming from other incidents between 2021 and 2023. Those federal charges do not include Cure's death.
So the facts are complicated:
Leonard Cure was wrongfully imprisoned for 16 years.
He was exonerated and began rebuilding his life.
Three years later, he was killed during a Georgia traffic stop.
The deputy who killed him had previously been fired for excessive force.
No criminal charges were filed against Aldridge over Cure's death.
And Cure's family has continued pursuing accountability through the courts.
Leonard Cure deserved the chance to live the life that was taken from him twice.
Remember his name.
This post is intended for documentary and educational purposes. The circumstances of the shooting and the allegations against the deputy should be understood in light of the official investigation, court filings, and the family's claims.
#LeonardCure #JusticeForLeonardCure #WrongfulConviction #CriminalJustice #PoliceAccountability #BlackHistory #Documentary
