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Aaron Salter, wrongly convicted of murder, charged with choking woman and holding her against her will

By and FOX 2 Staff
Updated  September 20, 2022 10:29am EDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 2 Detroit

Man arrested in assault of woman was cleared of murder charge 4 years ago

In 2018, Aaron Salter was cleared of a murder that happened in 2003. But now he's back in court and charged with assaulting a woman, choking her, and leading police on a chase through the city.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A Detroit man who was freed four years ago after spending 15 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit is back behind bars after he was charged with choking a love interest, threatening her with a gun, and holding her against her will.

Aaron Salter was freed on his 36th birthday in 2018 after being wrongly convicted of a murder in 2003. But on Monday, he was in a Wayne County court where a woman accused him of choking her in a July assault that was caught on camera.

"(He) grabbed me by my neck pushing me into the car," the victim testified. "Aaron had told me before we go into this liquor store if you tell anybody I’m going to blow your head off."

Surveillance video from a liquor store on Detroit's east side shows the two tussle and what appears to be Salter holding a gun.

Salter has been on FOX 2 several times after his 2018 exoneration. We've highlighted his good deeds in helping other exonerees while using some of his settlement money from his wrongful conviction.

But now he's charged with armed robbery, unlawful imprisonment, assault with a dangerous weapon, domestic violence, running from police, and a gun charge.

Salter allegedly ran from police in a chase with speeds topping 100 miles per hour, after the alleged victim was able to flee to safety. He’s accused of holding her against his will in an SUV while driving aimlessly around Detroit.  

36th District Court Judge Kenneth King bound the case over on Monday saying he’s disappointed in Salter.

"What the heck is he doing with a gun, in light of everything that he’s been through, why does he even have a gun?" King asked.

Bond stays at $500,000, no 10%. He also has a pending civil suit for $75 million in regard to that wrongful conviction, but that suit is unsettled as of now.