New York – New York authorities on Tuesday agreed to pay
$6.25 million compensation to an innocent man who spent nearly 25 years
languishing in prison for a murder he did not commit.
Jonathan Fleming, 53, walked free in April 2014 when his
conviction was overturned by the Brooklyn district attorney after spending nearly
half his life behind bars.
He had been found guilty of the August 1989 shooting of a
friend despite being with his family in Orlando, Florida at the time of the
murder.
“Mr. Fleming spent nearly half of his life behind bars for a
crime that evidence available at the time proved he could not have committed,”
said New York city comptroller Scott Stringer.
“We cannot give back the time that he served, but the city
of New York can offer Jonathan Fleming this compensation for the injustice that
was committed against him.”
Fleming went to hospital to see his dying mother after
signing the settlement, his lawyers Paul Callan and Martin Edelman said.
“The swift settlement will enable Jonathan and his family to
build a new life without the painful and costly prospect of further
litigation,” they said in a joint statement.
Source:The Straits Times...More...
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