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- Damon Thibodeaux died of COVID-19 nine years after being acquitted of murder charges
- Damon spent 16 years in prison before a team of lawyers proved his innocence
- His brother said Damon was not bitter and prayed to forgive those who imprisoned him
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A man who was acquitted of murder charges and released from prison has succumbed to COVID-19.
Source: UGC
Damon Thibodeaux was wrongfully jailed for 16 years in 1997 before a team of lawyers proved his innocence.
Nine years after his release from prison, he died after contracting the virus.
Speaking to the press, the retired lawyer who helped Damon regain his freedom expressed disbelief at his passing.
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“It’s so unfair. I find it hard to make my peace with it, but you can’t,” Steve Kaplan told The Oregonian.
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Damon died on September 2 at the age of 47, after spending a third of those years behind bars for a crime he did not commit.
Restart life
After his release from prison, Damon started over and took a job as a long-haul truck driver.
According to his brother David, he had no hard feelings and had rebuilt his life.
“He had no hard feelings and should have been angry with the world, but he wasn’t angry with anyone. He prayed to forgive those who imprisoned him,” the brother said.
Get sick
David said Damon fell ill on the road and was admitted to hospital with symptoms of the virus.
His health finally started to improve bit by bit, only for tragedy to strike.
David received a call from the hospital asking for permission to stop Damon’s resuscitation because his lungs had collapsed and his heart had collapsed.
“As hurt and painful as it may be, it is truly inspiring to see people touched by his story. He is at peace,” said David.
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Conviction and release
Damon was arrested at the age of 22 after his 14-year-old step-cousin went missing while visiting family.
When his body was found, he was questioned at length, prompting him to confess to a crime he had not committed.
He was sentenced to death a year later, and after spending 15 years on death row, a team of lawyers proved his innocence.
Inconsistent witness condition tests and a lack of DNA evidence saw his conviction overturned and he was released in 2012.
Payment of GHc 55 million
In January 2021, YEN.com.gh reported that a man who had been wrongfully imprisoned for 28 years had finally obtained justice.
Chester Hollman III was wrongfully jailed for murder when he was 21.
A court declared him innocent and awarded him GHc 55 million as a settlement.
Source: Yen.com.gh
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