An American will receive $ 21 million after 38 years of imprisonment by mistake

A man who mistakenly remained in prison for 38 years will now receive $ 21 million in compensation.

Finally, in November 2017, Coley was released after DNA tests proved that he was not connected to the case. With this evidence, Coley will now receive a US $ 21 million compensation from the City of Simi Valley, as part of an amicable settlement.

A man who mistakenly remained in prison for 38 years will now receive $ 21 million in compensation.

Craig Coley, 71, of Simi Valley, California, was jailed in 1978 after being convicted of murdering his ex-partner and son in November of that year. Coley however always claimed that he was innocent.

Finally, in November 2017, Coley was released after DNA tests proved that he was not connected to the case. With this evidence, Coley will now receive a US $ 21 million compensation from the City of Simi Valley, as part of an amicable settlement.

"Although no amount of money can compensate for what happened to Mr. Coley, solving this case is the right thing for him and for our community," said Eric Levitt, head of the company. administration of the municipal government, in a statement.

"The monetary cost of a lawsuit would be astronomical and it would be irresponsible for us to go in that direction".

A model prisoner

Coley, a veteran of the Vietnam War, was charged with the murder of 24-year-old Rhonda Wicht and her four-year-old son Donald.

Wicht was found raped and strangled, and her son was suffocated in his apartment in Simi City.

The police first suspected Coley after a neighbor said he saw him with his truck in the apartment after hearing an altercation.

After two trials, Coley was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Subsequently, several inconsistencies appeared in the indictment and the California state governor, Jerry Brown, forgave Coley nearly four decades later.

Brown called Coley a "model prisoner".

"The honor with which Coley endured this prolonged and unfair incarceration is extraordinary," Brown wrote in the document ordering his release.

"I grant this forgiveness because Coley did not commit these crimes."

For his part, in statements to the Los Angeles Times, Coley said his situation "can only be described as painful".

"I spent four decades without being able to cry the woman and the child I loved."

His search for freedom was accompanied by former police inspector Mike Bender, who since 1989 had already expressed his concerns about the case.

"He is eager to live his life," Bender told Reuters. "Nobody would want to be in their shoes."

And four decades later, the police failed to identify the murderer of Wicht and his son.

(The nation)