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After spending nearly half a century in prison for a murder he didn’t commit in Oklahoma, Glynn Simmons, a 71-year-old African-American, will receive $7.15 million in restitution
Before he was exonerated last year, Glynn Simmons had become the longest-serving inmate in U.S. history, according to the U.S. National Registry of Exonerations.
Released after 48 years, one month and 18 days in prison, he filed a lawsuit against the city of Edmond, Oklahoma, and a detective who helped lead to his arrest.
On Monday, the city’s city council approved a financial settlement to avoid a court battle, according to public records. The settlement ends “part of” the lawsuits filed “against cities and police who tampered with evidence … to frame him for murder,” Simmons’ attorneys said in a statement Tuesday.
“Mr. Simmons has spent a tragically long time in prison for a crime he did not commit,” said Elizabeth Wang, one of his attorneys.
“While he will never get that time back, this settlement with Edmond will allow him to move forward while continuing to pursue his rights against Oklahoma City and a detective.” The city of Edmond declined to comment when contacted by AFP.
Simmons was sentenced to death in 1975, along with another man, Don Roberts, for the murder of a liquor store employee during a robbery in Edmond. Their sentences were later commuted to life in prison.
