Henry McCollum and Leon Brown (images courtesy NC Department of Public Safety)
Posted on 05/17/2021 2:42:19 PM PDT by deport
Two North Carolina men who were wrongfully convicted in a rape and murder of an 11-year-old were awarded $75 million total in compensatory damages Friday, according to the Associated Press.
Henry McCollum and Leon Brown, who each spent 31 years in jail for a crime they did not commit, were each awarded $1 million for every year spent in prison. In addition to the $31 million each, the eight-person jury awarded them $13 million in punitive damages,
More than three decades after they were convicted of the rape and death of Sabrina Buie in 1983, new DNA evidence showed another man was responsible.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
I am glad they were cleared in this, and glad that they will benefit financially, after serving so long in prison.
I just wish that the people responsible for this type of injustice (corrupt LEO, attorneys, politicians??) would bear some consequences. Instead, it always falls to the taxpayers.
Still can’t get back thirty-one years of one’s life - they should enjoy the $750,000 each after their lawyers get paid.
being in prison for 31 years did them no favors, either
Stories like this just break my heart. Those poor men, such a good chunk of their lives GONE and never to be had again. The “justice” system is so rigged to get convictions. I’m very pro law & order, but this is just SO wrong.
Those responsible for travesties like this need to serve sentences identical to those that were railroaded in to wrongful convictions.
Too often too many prosecutors think their job is “get a conviction” with less emphasis on being dam sure of guilt, beyond a reasonable doubt, about the evidence. I disagree with the philosophy that “justice” is absent in what the prosecutors seek - its not their job; that is the job of the judges and juries. While I agree that in the final sense, yes, it is eventually left to judges and juries, but before it gets to the judge and jury prosecutors ought not be seeking convictions just for the sake of getting a conviction, no matter what. I would rather see prosecutors fail to prosecute when they themselves doubt the evidence is immaculate and convincing.
What if they represented themselves and passed in the attorneys, they get the entire amount.
I’d want to hear the other side of the story before believing the media on this (or on anything).
At least no government employee’s lost any sleep or were taken from away their families. There should be Severe penalties when malfeasance, perjury or Fraud are involved in cases like this.
What’s the “other side of the story?” They were exonerated by DNA evidence. What more do you need to know?
I'm guessing that they still have low IQ's.
Sad story though and those responsible for this travesty should be charged.
Minus a lot of deductions I suppose plus their relatives are there with their hands out.
“who had low IQs when questioned by police.”
What were their IQs after questioning?
L
You have a lot to learn about leftism and about the world we live in.
Justice is rarely a priority for a prosecutor. It’s about “winning” and political ladder climbing. Adversarial legal systems are not always honest. Defense can be just as bad, trying to get off clearly guilty people. As a result, innocent people are convicted and guilty are acquitted.
You're wise. There's a whole industry of leftist 'exonerators.'
No amount of many can give you back 31 years of your life that were spent in prison on false charges.......
But that's just me........
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