Oklahoma City has agreed to pay a former death row inmate who spent nearly 50 years in prison before being exonerated.
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Elderly man’s case cleared
Newsweek reported that Glynn Ray Simmons served more than 48 years in prison, becoming the longest-serving prisoner to be later declared innocent.
After facing the death penalty and five decades in prison, he will receive $7.15 million in compensation.
Simmons, 71, won the award after suing Edmond, Oklahoma, according to the Associated Press. The Edmond City Council officially settled the lawsuit on Aug. 12.
In 1975, a jury found Glynn Ray Simmons guilty of killing liquor store clerk Carolyn Rogers during a 1974 robbery. Simmons later sued, alleging that police falsified reports and the prosecution withheld evidence during his trial.
Fox23 News said the lawsuit alleges police falsified reports identifying Glynn Ray Simmons and accomplice Don Roberts as the robbers and shooters.
The lawsuit also revealed that police concealed evidence that witnesses had identified two other suspects.
Simmons claims he was in Louisiana when the incident occurred.
Simmons was sentenced to death but in reality faced life in prison following a 1977 Supreme Court ruling on capital punishment, the Independent reported. However, Roberts was pardoned in 2008.
More details about Glynn Ray Simmons
Glynn Ray Simmons’ attorney, Elizabeth Wang, has argued for his release, stating that no amount of money can make up for the injustice he has suffered.
“Mr. Simmons has suffered an unimaginable injustice, spending nearly half a century in prison for a crime he did not commit. While no amount of money can make up for the years he has lost, this agreement will allow him to start a new chapter in his life.”
Fox23 News reported that a judge vacated Simmons’ sentence in July 2023, resulting in his release from prison and ordering a new trial.
In September, District Attorney Vickie Behenna announced she would not retry Simmons’ case due to a lack of physical evidence.
AP reported that in December 2023, Simmons received $175,000 from the state for being wrongfully convicted and exonerated.
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