A man who spent 44 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted has received $25 million in compensation.
Ronnie Long was accused of raping a 54-year-old white woman in 1974.
Mr. Long, a Black man, was convicted by an all-white jury of rape and burglary in 1976, and went on to spend 44 years of his life in prison.
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But in 2020, Mr. Long's conviction was quashed and he was released.
US Court of Appeals Judge Stephanie Thacker described 'a trickle of post-trial disclosures' that 'unearthed a troubling and striking pattern of deliberate police suppression of material evidence'.
The suppressed evidence included semen samples and fingerprints found at the crime scene which did not match to those of Long.
After his release on August 27, 2020, Mr. Long, now 68, was initially granted $750,000 compensation to be paid in instalments of $50,000 a year.
This was the maximum allowed under the law in North Carolina, and Mr. Long said in 2021 that he intended to push for that law to be reformed.
He went on to pursue a civil case and has now been awarded $25 million in damages - the second largest payout for false imprisonment ever made.
The settlement includes $22 million from the city of Concord and $3 million from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
In a statement on January 9, the City of Concord accepted responsibility, taking accountability for 'significant errors in judgement and wilful misconduct by previous [C]ity employees that led to Long’s wrongful conviction and imprisonment'.
The statement continued: “We are deeply remorseful for the past wrongs that caused tremendous harm to Mr. Long, his family, friends, and our community.
“We are hopeful this can begin the healing process for Mr. Long, his family, and our community, and that together we can move forward while learning valuable lessons and ensuring nothing like this ever happens again.”
Supervising attorney Jamie Lau works for Duke Law School’s Wrongful Convictions Clinic which represented Mr Long, and said: “No amount of money will ever compensate Ronnie Long for the 44 years he spent incarcerated and the indifference of numerous elected officials who fought to keep him incarcerated despite overwhelming evidence of his innocence.
“While he was in prison his parents passed away; he missed birthdays, graduations, funerals, and other important events that mark a person’s life. He can never get this time back.”
The clinic director James E. Coleman, Jr. said: “The fact that the City of Concord is taking responsibility for what happened to Ronnie and has apologized in such a forthright manner likely will lift some of the burden he will carry forward.
"We wish others responsible for these miscarriages of justice would follow Concord’s example."
Kit Roberts