[ad_1]
(Reuters) – A Californian national wrongfully convicted for the murder of an ex-girlfriend and his son four decades ago reached a settlement of $ 21 million with the city of Simi Valley, announced officials.
FILE PHOTO: Inmate Craig Coley, wrongly convicted for the double murder of a woman and her child in 1978, and released from prison on the basis of genetic evidence, was pardoned by California Governor Jerry Brown , in Simi Valley, California, United States photo provided on November 23, 2017. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation / Distributed via REUTERS
Craig Coley, 71, was sentenced to life without parole for the murder of his former partner, Rhonda Wicht, and his son Donald, who was 4 years old, in 1978 in their apartment.
He has always maintained his innocence and was pardoned in 2017 by Jerry Brown, then governor of California, on the basis of exculpatory DNA evidence found by investigators.
"Even though no money can compensate for what happened to Mr. Coley, settling this case is the right thing to do for Mr. Coley and our community," said Eric Levitt, director of the city of Simi Valley, in a statement.
The 39 years Coley spent behind bars are the longest prison sentence ever in California, the statement said.
Since her release, Coley has spoken to law enforcement officials about the collection of evidence and has met relatives of prisoners who maintain their innocence, according to Mike Bender , close friend and former police detective at Simi Valley, a community close to Los Angeles.
Bender had sought Coley's release for nearly three decades after he was troubled by some aspects of the case.
"Craig's message is still not to give up," Bender told Reuters by phone Sunday.
More than 350 US detainees have been exonerated by DNA testing since 1989, according to the New York-based Innocence Project, which helps people who have been wrongfully convicted. On average, released convicts had served 14 years in prison after being exonerated.
The California authorities awarded Coley $ 1.95 million last year, $ 140 a day spent in jail. At the time, it was the largest payment in the event of wrongful conviction by the State Compensation Board.
This money allowed Coley to buy a house. With the new settlement money, he will also be able to go to the places on his list and continue helping the convicts wrongly, said Bender.
"He is eager to live his life," said Bender, "no one would want to swap places with him."
Report of Jackie Botts in New York; Edited by Lisa Shumaker
[ad_2]
Source link