It’s the little things.
A real knife and fork instead of a spoon at every meal. A shower that lasts longer than an elevator ride, in the privacy of your own bathroom. Coffee that doesn’t come from a jar.
“It’s very good,” the free man said.” Which kind am I drinking? Latte? Much better that that Taster’s Choice and cream. Much better. It’s real good. My first time ever at Starbucks. Coffee was like 40 cents when I first went to prison.”
That was nearly 25 years ago when Jonathan Fleming, 51, was convicted of a Brooklyn murder that happened while he was in Florida on a Disney World vacation.
Fleming had his first full day of freedom Wednesday, a day after a judge released him in the wake of new evidence that supported his alibi.
Fleming, cleared in the shooting death of Darryl “Black” Rush in 1989, began his day with a “wonderful” hotel shower and a breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage, home fries, and orange juice.
“I got to use metal silverware,” Fleming marveled. “I don’t have to eat every meal with a spoon now. I’m using a fork now.”
After a stop at Starbucks and a few selfies with a borrowed smartphone, Fleming met with his legal team to start planning out the rest of his life .
“It’s a little too early to think about what the future holds for me. I’m just taking one day at a time. That’s all I can do.”
Fleming said he is in good shape, and plans to keep it that way.
“I’ve always made it my business to work out, try to stay in shape. I was determined. I wanted to come out and be in good shape. I still have a long life ahead of me. I work out five days a week and I’m going to continue.”
He said he will also take some time to reflect on what went wrong.
“I told them from the beginning when they took me to the precinct that I was in Orlando, Florida, with my family, and I gave them all my family members who I was with,” Fleming said.
“I gave them details: What plane I took there, what plane I took back, what hotel we stayed in, the hotel room numbers. I thought I would not be found guilty for this crime.”
Fleming and his lawyers are convinced that a key piece of evidence — a time stamped hotel receipt — was withheld by cops or prosecutors.
It surfaced during a recent review of Fleming’s case. It also helped his freedom bid that a key witness recanted her testimony.
James Leeper, the Brooklyn assistant district attorney who prosecuted Fleming, is still a homicide prosecutor in the DA’s office. He declined to comment.
Additional reporting by Josh Saul