Kumari Shreya
Among the various cases of real-life incarceration, the ones involving wrongful convictions often catch the interest of the public. Such are the stories that have been discussed in We TV’s ‘Love After Lockup: Innocent After Lockup,’ with the reality show delving into the lives of those who gained freedom after numerous years of being imprisoned for crimes they did not commit. This includes Calvin Buari, who remained imprisoned for well over two decades and has now left the world wondering about the latest updates in his life.
Who is Calvin Buari?
On September 10, 1992, a shooting at 213th Street and Bronxwood Avenue in the Bronx, New York, claimed the lives of Salhaddin and Elijah Harris. The killings were suspected to be a result of tensions between rival drug-distributing gangs. It was a then-21-year-old Calvin Buari who was arrested on March 22, 1993. Given that Calvin himself had allegedly been injured due to similar attacks in the past, he did seem linked to the case.
With no physical evidence that would tie him to the case, Calvin was presented with a plea deal prior to the start of his October 1995 trial. He was given the option to admit that he had killed the Harris brothers in exchange for serving a three-year sentence. However, Calvin rejected the offer, leading to his conviction on October 30, 1995, and he was sentenced to 50 years in prison. Years later, in 2003, Calvin filed a motion claiming that a man named Dwight Robinson had actually been responsible for the crimes that the former was convicted for.
However, Robinson ended up denying the allegation at a later date, which led to Calvin’s motion being denied in 2006, despite another witness claiming that he had not been correct in his identification of Calbvin as the shooter in the Harris case. Another motion was filed in 2015, with Calvin’s team presenting statements from three new witnesses. This led to an evidentiary hearing being conducted in 2017.
Two eyewitnesses ended up claiming that it was indeed Robinson who had killed the Harris men, while another witness served as an alibi for Calvin. This allowed the still-imprisoned man to gain a new trial in May 2017, with his existing convictions being overturned. Calvin was released on bond on May 8, 2017, with a new trial to be conducted to determine his innocence. The prosecution ultimately dropped all charges against Calvin on March 21, 2018, allowing him to walk free.
Calvin Buari is Still Together With Sadia Buari
Following the declaration of his innocence, Calvin Buari was determined to gain reparations for the 22 years that he spent in prison. He filed a lawsuit against the city of New York on December 28, 2018, for damages to his person and won the case in 2021, gaining $4 million as compensation. The amount, following its filing in the New York Court of Claims, ended up being $3,750,000. Now based in Houston, Texas, Calvin is a successful entrepreneur, having started his own cab service called Ryderz Van Service.
Calvin refers to his business as “Uber of prison visits,” as he tries to serve those who are trying to visit their loved ones in prison. The company has expanded to New York, Georgia (Atlanta), Texas, Florida, and California (Los Angeles). Additionally, Calvin also has a podcast and is quite proud of his business acumen. As for his personal life, he is always happy to talk about his love life. The former New York resident had been in a relationship with Sadia Buari prior to his conviction, and the relationship has stood the test of time, with both parties still being in love. Calvin also seems to be fond of traveling and seizing every moment possible to make the best of it.
Read More: Is Love After Lockup Scripted?
