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Glynn Simmons, 71, will receive $7.15 million in damages for failure to perform his duties prisoner Nearly half a century has passed since he was arrested in Oklahoma for a murder he did not commit USA.
Glynn Simmons was exonerated last year as the longest wrongfully incarcerated person in U.S. history, according to the National Registry of Innocences.
After serving 48 years, one month, and 18 days in prison, he was released and filed a lawsuit against the city of Edmond, Oklahoma, and a police inspector who was involved in his arrest.
Public documents show that on Monday (August 12, 2024), the Edmond City Council approved an out-of-court settlement to avoid the case turning into a legal battle.
In a statement released Tuesday, Simmons’ attorneys explained that the settlement “partially” ends the lawsuit “against the city and police,” who used fabricated evidence to accuse Simmons of “murder.”
“Simmons has spent a tragically long time in prison for a crime he did not commit,” insisted Elizabeth Wang, a member of his legal team.
He added that “while he can never get that time back, the settlement with the city of Edmond will allow him to move forward while continuing to assert his rights” against Oklahoma City and the inspector.
The Edmond City Council declined to comment when contacted by AFP.
Glynn Simmons and another man, Don Roberts, were sentenced to death in 1975 for killing a 30-year-old winery employee during a robbery in Edmond. Their sentences were later commuted to life in prison.
The convictions of the two men were based on the testimony of the only witness, a customer of the store, a teenage girl who was shot in the head during the robbery but survived.
The teen recognized them among other suspects introduced to her by police, but a subsequent investigation called into question the reliability of the identifications.
During the trial, the defendants argued to no avail that they were not even in Oklahoma on the day of the murder.
In July 2023, the US judicial authorities overturned Simmons’ conviction. In December, he was formally acquitted.
Another man convicted in the case, Don Roberts, was released from prison in 2008, according to the National Registry of Exonerations.
article African American man served 48 years in prison for murder and was awarded $7 million in compensation Published on News IT .
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