He was in prison for 39 years, he was innocent and he will receive $ 21 million in compensation.

The story of Craig Coley is worthy of a dramatic film vying for the Oscars. The 71-year-old man was jailed for 39 years, accused of the crime committed by his girlfriend and son, until the state examines his case, rethinks the situation and releases him. Now he was compensated with $ 21 million.

The high amount was decided to prevent Coley from bringing a one million dollar judgment to the state. "Although no amount can compensate What happened to him, reaching this agreement was the right thing for him and for the community. The monetary cost of the lawsuit would be astronomical and it would be irresponsible for us to go in that direction, "said Eric Levitt, Simi Valley's City Manager.

Coley had been serving a life sentence since 1980 for the murder of his girlfriend Rhonda Wicht and his 4-year-old son, Donald. As the man has maintained his innocence for nearly four decades, when a court reviewed his case, it has been proven that I was innocent thanks to DNA evidence.

Last year, Coley had received about $ 2 million from the California Victims Compensation Board, 140 dollars for each day spent in prison.

The veteran had been convicted of the testimony of a neighbor who had said to have seen his pickup truck escape from the crime scene. Wicht and his son Donald were found murdered in their bed. Wife she was raped and strangled, while the baby died asphyxiated.

In 2016, police and prosecutors reopened the investigation after discovering that the sperm found in the woman's leaves did not match the convict's DNA. Researchers they identified other suspects and determined that the neighbor who said against Coley could not have seen her from her window due to lack of light.