Washington [US], August 15: AFP news agency reported on August 15 that a 71-year-old man who spent nearly five decades in prison for a wrongful murder conviction will receive a $7.15 million (VND179 billion) settlement .
Glynn Simmons , an African-American, spent more time in prison before being exonerated than any other prisoner in U.S. history. He was released last year after serving a total of 48 years, one month and 18 days in prison.
On August 12, Edmond, Oklahoma, city council members voted to move forward with resolving complaints against the city and one of the investigators involved.
Mr Simmons' lawyers said the payment "partially resolves" his lawsuit "against the cities and police who fabricated evidence to frame him for murder".
"Mr. Simmons has endured a traumatic time being held for a crime he did not commit," said attorney Elizabeth Wang.
"While he will never get that time back, this settlement will be a step forward while he continues to pursue his claims," said attorney Wang.
Mr. Simmons and another man, Don Roberts, were sentenced to death in 1975 for the 1974 murder of a 30-year-old liquor store clerk during a robbery in Edmond. Their sentences were later commuted to life in prison.
The two defendants were convicted based solely on the testimony of a teenage customer who was shot in the head during the robbery but survived. Both men said at trial they were not even in Oklahoma at the time of the murder.
Judge Amy Palumbo overturned Simmons' conviction in July 2023. He was formally acquitted in December 2023. Roberts was released in 2008.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper