California man who spent 39 years in prison gets $21 million for wrongful conviction
A California man who was wrongfully convicted for killing an ex-girlfriend and her son four decades ago has reached a $21 million settlement with the city of Simi Valley, officials said.
Craig
Coley, 71, was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the 1978
murder of his former partner, Rhonda Wicht, and her 4-year-old son,
Donald, at their apartment.
He
had always maintained his innocence, and was pardoned in 2017 by
California's then-governor, Jerry Brown, based on exculpatory DNA
evidence found by investigators.
"While
no amount of money can make up for what happened to Mr. Coley, settling
this case is the right thing to do for Mr. Coley and our community,"
Simi Valley City Manager Eric Levitt said on Saturday in a statement.
The 39 years Coley spent behind bars was the longest prison term ever overturned in California, the statement said.
Since
his release, Coley has spoken to law enforcement officials about
evidence collection, and has met with parents of prisoners who maintain
their innocence, according to Mike Bender, a close friend and former
police detective in Simi Valley, a community just outside Los Angeles.
Bender had pushed for Coley's release for nearly three decades after he became troubled by aspects of the case.
"Craig's message is always don't give up," Bender told Reuters by telephone on Sunday.
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