A Baltimore man who spent two decades of his life in prison for a crime he did not commit may receive a multi-million dollar settlement from the city.
James Owens, now 57, was released from prison a decade ago after DNA evidence cleared him and another man of the 1987 rape and murder of 24-year-old college student and phone company employee Colleen Williar.
Owens had spent 21 years of a life sentence in prison before he was freed.
Now, Baltimore may pay Owens $9million for the wrongful conviction, the largest settlement from the city in an alleged police misconduct case.
The settlement would come from Baltimore's regular budget and is set to go before the city's spending panel on Wednesday.
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11 comments:
As if Baltimore isn't going bankrupt fast enough!
I'll go to prison and live there for $428,571 a year. There's no way his "wasted" years were worth that much.
What they owe him and his friend cannot be compensated with cash.
Should have had a better lawyer
Should have had a better police department and grand jury.-
Anonymous Anonymous said...
I'll go to prison and live there for $428,571 a year. There's no way his "wasted" years were worth that much.
May 2, 2018 at 10:50 AM
No, you wouldn't. It's not about what his "wasted years" are worth, it's about punishing the powers that be for making such mistakes and imposing penalties so hopefully, they won't do it again.
21 years in prison for a wrongful conviction? I don't think 9 million is enough.
'There needs to be accountability. That's where the real solace comes into play. The community needs to know that when prosecutors and police withhold evidence and deprive people of a fair trial and steal people's freedom, that they're going to be held accountable. Money can't buy accountability,' Eldridge said.
The blood on the knife was the victims and now police are investigating blood on the shorts for other victims in the area. Same type of murders. Read the entire article it will help you make a better comment.
It should have been 21 million after he pays his lawyer.
Right & heads should roll. No matter how much money that man gets, he ll never mentally be the same. Wonder how long they ll take to even pay him.
Be careful what u ask for, you may get it. I doubt after a few days, you ll be whistling the same tune. Being free, able to succeed, build a stable life and family or even support a dying loved one doesnt have a value that compares. Honestly thats your govt wasting that much. They make more outsourcing work and taking kick backs for contracts.
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