A 71-year-old man, Glynn Simmons, will receive a $7.15 million settlement from Edmond, Oklahoma, after spending 48 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. He holds the record for the longest wrongful imprisonment in US history.
Simmons was released last year and Edmond city councillors approved the settlement to resolve his claims against the city and a detective. His lawyers called it a “partial settlement” of his lawsuit for the false evidence used to convict him.
Attorney Elizabeth Wang said the settlement won’t recover Simmons’ lost years but will help him move forward and continue legal actions against Oklahoma City and a key detective.
Simmons and Don Roberts were convicted in 1975 based on the testimony of a teenage witness who later doubted her identification. Their death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment. Simmons’ conviction was overturned in July and he was declared innocent in December. Roberts was released in 2008.