Crazy story! Guy served 30 years in prison that he didnt have to....

[Greddypacked]

and was wrongfully accused. Crazy part is look how much money he is getting for being behind bars and wrongfully accused, and no federal income tax on the money either lol.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110104/...neration_texas

[RL...]

He deserves every penny.

[iamdallas]

Damn... just wonder how many other people this has happened to with no consolation.

good for this fella, though. He deserves more than that if you ask me. There its no substitute for lost time. :/

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[quickdodge®]

Damn... just wonder how many other people this has happened to with no consolation.

It's much more than you think. And considering this happens a lot, it's not really that crazy of a story here. Later, QD.

[DVSRX-7]

Even with all that money. The time he spent in prison is long gone, now... he only has about 30 years to live and enjoy $2.4mil.


Jails & Prisons are filled with innocent people... not criminals.

[quickdodge®]

Jails & Prisons are filled with innocent people... not criminals.

Yeah. Everyone is innocent. Ask anyone in jail. They're all not guilty. Later, QD.

[nreggie454]

Yeah. Everyone is innocent. Ask anyone in jail. They're all not guilty. Later, QD.

Me? My lawyer fucked me.

[gerardojdm]

Is that a $100 bill or $1billion?

[Jdm94Coupe]

Is that a $100 bill or $1billion?

2.4 MILLION

[01CDMLUDER]

They should pay back the tax payees too. It cost roughly $500,000 to have someone ^in prison for 40 years @($40 a day)

[[3000gt20s]]

i served time for the wrong i did ... but the the prison system is filled with people convicted in the 70s and 80s that were wrongfully accused....

[5speed]

Prison costs taxpayers more money than it should. Alot of prisons are privately owned and house people for profit.

[Bacon]

i served time for the wrong i did ... but the the prison system is filled with people convicted in the 70s and 80s that were wrongfully accused....

Did you believe everything the inmates said?

[BanginJimmy]

Do some research on the Innocence Project. They are using a lot of legal muscle to force DA's and Crime Labs to go over old evidence and test for DNA. If I remember correctly more than 220 men have had their convictions overturned by DNA.



As far as compensation goes, I am torn on it. Yes, they deserve something for spending all those years locked up, but unless the DA or LEO's did something unethical or illegal to gain the convictions I just dont know that I agree with it. I do believe that all contested cases nationwide that still have DNA evidence available should be tested to either confirm or call into question a conviction.

[nreggie454]

As far as compensation goes, I am torn on it. Yes, they deserve something for spending all those years locked up, but unless the DA or LEO's did something unethical or illegal to gain the convictions I just dont know that I agree with it. I do believe that all contested cases nationwide that still have DNA evidence available should be tested to either confirm or call into question a conviction.

I agree. While it completely sucks ass that they lost years of their lives, it only hurts the system more to be giving large sums of money to every guy that gets his conviction overturned. Maybe they could get exemption from taxes for X years or some other compensation that doesn't put a heavy burden on taxpayers and state budgets.

[5speed]

I agree. While it completely sucks ass that they lost years of their lives, it only hurts the system more to be giving large sums of money to every guy that gets his conviction overturned. Maybe they could get exemption from taxes for X years or some other compensation that doesn't put a heavy burden on taxpayers and state budgets.

That sounds very reasonable to me.

[smoknlegend]

I agree. While it completely sucks ass that they lost years of their lives, it only hurts the system more to be giving large sums of money to every guy that gets his conviction overturned. Maybe they could get exemption from taxes for X years or some other compensation that doesn't put a heavy burden on taxpayers and state budgets.

but if they were wrongfully accused, and were stuck in prison, how do you expect them to sustain themselves when they get out? If they have no money to start anywhere, they are essentially homeless, so technically the government would be exempting taxes on nothing.

[alpine_aw11]

I agree. While it completely sucks ass that they lost years of their lives, it only hurts the system more to be giving large sums of money to every guy that gets his conviction overturned. Maybe they could get exemption from taxes for X years or some other compensation that doesn't put a heavy burden on taxpayers and state budgets.

Tell that to the guy who had essentially his whole life taken away from him. You can say it puts a heavy burden on taxpayers but you won't actually notice the difference, and imo I wouldn't mind the money I'm already giving to go towards a situation like this. If you get locked up for 30 years, a gift basket from Bed Bath & Beyond isn't going to do shit for you, you're going to need a means to live. I can't imagine it would be easy to have to completely restart your life without any immediate funding.

[BanginJimmy]

but if they were wrongfully accused, and were stuck in prison, how do you expect them to sustain themselves when they get out? If they have no money to start anywhere, they are essentially homeless, so technically the government would be exempting taxes on nothing.

He wasnt wrongfully accused or even wrongfully convicted based on the article. Yes, he turned out to be innocent but that doesnt mean anyone did anything wrong. His conviction was overturned based on technology that didnt exist when he was convicted. I guess the real question is where does it end. Do these people have the right to refuse the payment and try to take the state or city to court? Can they take the money then try to go to court for more?

While I am torn on a cash payment, I do agree 100% with the lifetime annuity. If they served long enough maybe pay them top state worker pay grade retirement tax free for the rest of their life.


These payouts dont put a lot of strain on any system. In the scheme of things 2.4mil isnt a whole lot of money and this is an extreme case. I would imagine the average payout is much less.