Matthew and Grace Huang, an American couple wrongfully convicted of charges related to their daughter’s death in Qatar, left the Gulf nation last Wednesday after their convictions were overturned by a Qatari appeals court. The decision ended a nearly two-year legal battle that caught international attention after the couple was arrested on murder charges for their daughter’s unexpected death in January 2013.
In 2012, the Huangs moved to Qatar with their three African-born, adopted children after Matthew was hired to work as an engineer as part of preparations for the 2022 World Cup in Doha. On January 15, 2013, the Huang’s 8-year-old daughter Gloria died unexpectedly. According to the Huangs, Gloria had suffered from medical problems complicated by an eating disorder that resulted from her impoverished early years in Ghana. Despite no signs of trauma or other violence, Qatari police arrested the couple on murder charges and put their other two adopted children in an orphanage.
The Huangs spent nearly a year behind bars before their case was heard for the first time last November. Although their initial murder charges were dropped, they were convicted in March of child endangerment and sentenced to three years in prison. The California Innocence Project and The David House Agency represented the couple in their defense. On November 30, 2014, a Qatari Appeals Court overturned the Huang convictions and they were found innocent of all charges.
The Huangs were welcomed home in Los Angeles last week and reunited with their family.
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