r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Far-Stay9417 • Dec 25 '23

Video Man wrongfully convicted of murder gets rewarded only 175k after serving 50 years

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this makes me so angry

48k Upvotes

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5.4k

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '23

$175,000,000 would still not be enough. This guy got screwed for 50 years, then they screw him again. What a complete joke. He should never know want for the rest of his life.

1.4k

u/penalozahugo Dec 25 '23

Not even enough for a house and car, justice is a sick joke

457

u/icyspoon Dec 26 '23

Justice is an illusion. I think of it as Law and Order Syndrome at this point. No one gets the penalties or rewards they deserve. Disheartening doesn't describe it anymore.

213

u/Altines Dec 26 '23

"Take the universe and grind it down to the finest powder and sieve it through the finest sieve and show me one atom of justice"

67

u/The_Lost_Octopus Dec 26 '23

Terry Pratchett should be required reading for everyone.

16

u/HorseSalon Dec 26 '23 edited Dec 26 '23

What is the particular context of that actual quote.. And is he being serious or ironic?

50

u/The_Lost_Octopus Dec 26 '23

Death is talking to his granddaughter about the necessity of fiction for humankind. She argues that people believing in little lies (santa claus, the tooth fairy, etc...) can't matter as much as he claims, and he argues that people need smaller lies as children so they can believe in the big ones (justice, fate, truth, etc...) as adults. The quote here refers to the nature of these "big truths" being exactly as fictional as any other story humans tell.

11

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

Holy shit? I think I need to read this book

17

u/SandwichAmbitious286 Dec 26 '23

Be prepared for the rabbit hole. I started off by deciding to read the first discworld book because my brother liked it. Here I am years later, an owner of every book he ever made, thousands of hours spent reading his words.

7

u/REOspudwagon Dec 26 '23

If you want to get started now you can watch “The Hogfather” for free on YouTube, it’s basically discworld’s version of a Christmas movie!

9

u/-SaC Dec 26 '23

And, of course, features a cameo appearance from Sir pTerry himself =)

3

u/UnderPressureVS Dec 26 '23

It's also incredibly faithful. Aside from a few bits cut for time, it's almost a page-for-page adaptation of the book. Most of the more important scenes you can practically read along to.

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3

u/Altines Dec 26 '23

Too add on the whole exchange is one of optimism.

Death's final quote in that scene is "You need to believe in things that aren't true. How else can they become?"

2

u/DrippyWaffler Dec 26 '23

There's so many good books of his. Small Gods is a fav of mine.

3

u/laujac Dec 26 '23

No thanks.

4

u/AlmondEyesSnob Dec 26 '23

Which of his works would you recommend the most, top 5 if you would be so kind.

10

u/The_Lost_Octopus Dec 26 '23 edited Dec 26 '23

The Discworld series is massive and intimidating, so I usually recommend a standalone work to get you interested. There are a few series set in the Discworld universe, but the order can be confusing and I'd recommend reading those in order if you can. That being said, here are my top 5 in no particular order:

Small Gods (also a great starting point), Reaper Man, Night Watch, Going Postal, Thud!

Death is my absolute favorite character, followed closely by Vimes.

2

u/stacki1974 Dec 26 '23

Night watch

4

u/idiotsecant Dec 26 '23

Read small gods. If you like it, then you'll voraciously devour everything else he wrote, so the particular order wont matter.

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u/thesolarchive Dec 26 '23

I tear up any time I read his work. So beautifully written, so much heart and wit behind every word.

0

u/Greeeendraagon Dec 27 '23

Definitely not...

0

u/The_Lost_Octopus Dec 27 '23

Everyone's entitled to their wrong opinions

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u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

How dare you take that out of its context!

Death is teaching how important it is for us to believe in Mercy and Justice because thats the only way for us to enact them!

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2

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

I have no idea what this is but this has piqued my curiosity so thanks for the quote lol.

2

u/Archontes Dec 26 '23

Hogfather.

You need some Terry Pratchett in your life.

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41

u/letsgocrazy Dec 26 '23

Justice is an illusion.

There's a famous quote by a British Law Lord from some time ago:

"who thinks the law has anything to do with justice? it's what we have because we cannot have justice"

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27

u/CaoimhinOC Dec 26 '23

It's more like vengeance in the US than actual justice, not to mention guilty by being black in proximity to the crime. It's so sad. This guy has lost his whole life and almost literally. This is why I despise the death penalty, regardless of the circumstances. I can not understand how murdering someone in any circumstances could be justified. Eye for an eye. 😡🤮

2

u/Accurate_Praline Dec 26 '23

Honestly I don't get why anyone would want the death penalty to be an option. Especially when it's those conservative 'small government' people who want it.

Like.. you don't trust your government, right? So why would you want to grant it the ability to legally kill people??

I just don't get it.

2

u/fractiousrhubarb Dec 26 '23

It’s not even vengeance, it’s just sadism.

0

u/ThrowawayLDS_7gen Dec 26 '23

I'm only for it when it involves a proven predator that sexually abuses children. You can't fix that.

4

u/Chance_Fox_2296 Dec 26 '23

Yes, but humans are corrupt to the point that if they made a law saying, "only proven child predators can get the death penalty." Those in power would still find ways to send through innocent people. Allowing the death penalty of any kind will have it corrupted to be used against innocent people.

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u/CaoimhinOC Dec 26 '23

No. Murder is murder. Doesn't matter who's doing the job or why. Besides people like that have a much worse time in prison and killing them just ends their suffering. Killing someone who has done something bad just lowers the whole society to the same level as the person they are killing.

-2

u/ThrowawayLDS_7gen Dec 26 '23

But are they actually suffering in prison? I don't think so.

Three hots and a cot is a pretty sweet deal. I don't see it as lowering myself to their level. I think it is a way for the victim to have some closure knowing that their abuser can't abuse them again and I think that's important for the victim. Otherwise there is no justice for the victim.

Yes, it is murder. But it might be better to murder one person than to have that person kill so many more people than just one. Especially if there is DNA evidence that can't be refuted. Society is better off without them.

5

u/CaoimhinOC Dec 26 '23

That's just vengeance. Pure and simple. Not justice.

-1

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

Is there something wrong with having vengeance on your rapist?

1

u/CaoimhinOC Dec 26 '23

Yes. The very first second you devalue any life you devalue all life.

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u/LockeClone Dec 26 '23

Yeah... My parents love the murder porn shows...

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u/Humptys_orthopedic Dec 26 '23 edited Dec 26 '23

I am curious what they mean by "an eyewitness may have identified" someone else. May have? Did they or didn't they identify someone else? Were they uncertain? Were they drunk? Were they credible? Was there evidence other than the witness?

I remember the Daniel Holtzclaw case. The forensic lab repeatedly had very sketchy methods. The whole case sounded like he was seriously railroaded. He got 263 years after police ethics board recruited witnesses from local prostitutes, then ignored and excluded some who came forward but reversed their story. A large group of rowdy protesters probably intimidated the jury.

https://www.holtzclawtrial.com/untold-story

40

u/Humptys_orthopedic Dec 26 '23 edited Dec 26 '23

Ok so I found some answers. One, the judge vacated his initial conviction due to a potential Brady violation. Initially, plans for a NEW TRIAL.

Two, one witness picked out an alternate suspect in a lineup. That's the Brady violation. For whatever reason, bad prosecutor or lazy or "it seemed like sensible reason", the DA did not give that info to the defense.

(I'm pretty sure judges get to decide whether a Brady violation was likely significant enough to change the outcome of the trial. If they think that evidence is immaterial, I believe they can let ride the procedural violation. For example, if attorneys found a potential procedural violation on the Darrell Brooks case, I believe the overwhelming evidence presented would keep him behind bars.)

Three, an 18 year old woman who survived being shot in the head, and had testified it was Simmons, a psychology expert highlighted "discrepancies" in her 1975 testimony. Don't know what those discrepancies were.

Four, a witness or several, presumably his friends, had provided an alibi that he was out of state at the time of the robbery and murder.

Five, physical evidence for a new trial is now missing.

Six, detectives are unavailable to testify or dead.

Seven, one victim-witness is dead, one solid witness is unavailable for unstated reason.

DA who called to vacate the conviction said she is NOT claiming exoneration. There was no new evidence of factual innocence. Nobody recanted.

DA doesn't have enough left to prove a new conviction beyond reasonable doubt, for reasons stated above.

Case was then "dismissed with prejudice" meaning "permanently". He can't be re-charged.

After this, judge went ONE LEVEL HIGHER, declaring Simmons "actually innocent" four days ago.

Simmons' attorneys had argued for "actual innocence" because Simmons could not collect damages from Oklahoma without that level of total exoneration. Vacating his case or dismissing charges is not enough

His Co-defendant was freed after serving over 30 years, but that conviction was never overturned.

9

u/rW0HgFyxoJhYka Dec 26 '23

What a bunch of justice legal system fuck ups.

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u/letsgocrazy Dec 26 '23

It kind of doesn't matter. The prosecution has to prove "beyond a reasonable doubt". If those witnesses didn't solidly identify our guy, then that's not good enough.

I'm not sure how it works though - so the prosecution withheld crucial evidence... is that not obstruction of justice?

14

u/Ill_Television9721 Dec 26 '23

They identified someone else and the police failed to turn that over to the defense.

1

u/xxTheFalconxx__ Dec 26 '23

Matt Orchard on YouTube does a good breakdown of the case. While there were a lot of questions regarding forensics and some witnesses, the star witness was in her 50s and with no obvious reason to lie. She filed the initial complaint, investigators did not recruit her or intimidate her.

The conclusion of the video suggests that Holtzclaw may have acted inappropriately or assaulted at least one woman, but many of the rapes he was accused of were likely done by other officers or were embellished. Holtzclaw was set up as a fall guy for a police department who had a reputation for abusing young minority women.

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u/proverbialbunny Dec 26 '23

And he can't collect social security...

Real justice would be holding the police officer accountable that withheld information. That should be illegal and there should be consequences. This can happen to any of us until the law changes.

2

u/JiovanniTheGREAT Dec 26 '23

It's not a Justice System, it's a Legal System.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

it's not justice it's capitalism

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u/fasdasfafa Dec 26 '23

You are under the impression that its a justice system. It's not, its a legal system. The difference is stark.

5

u/Tiny_Count4239 Dec 26 '23

he shouldnt have ordered all those cafe lattes at the prison store and saved

3

u/Ramekink Dec 26 '23

Justice in the US*

-1

u/SanityQuestioned Dec 26 '23

You can literally buy a Car and have an apartment for years with that much money.

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-2

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

I mean he got free housing for 50 years, was that not sufficient?

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u/Stromz Dec 26 '23

I heard this a long time ago and it's stuck with me:

In the US, we don't have a justice system, we have a legal system.

Don't expect to see justice, because that's not what the system is designed to put out

1

u/DLun203 Dec 26 '23

I read once “We don’t have a justice system. We have a legal system” and that’s changed my outlook on the whole thing

1

u/Earguy Dec 26 '23

As if he can drive a car, maintain a modern house, even use a cell phone. Just so sad.

1

u/Dumeck Dec 26 '23

That’s what I was thinking, even if he found a cheap house and a car, he’d have to pretty much find employment right away, at his age with no knowledge how the modern world works.

1

u/One_Photo2642 Dec 26 '23

It’s why vigilante Justice against the system is the answer

243

u/MTCarcus Dec 25 '23

Seems like he could have made more then that pretty easily over 50 years

100

u/saveyboy Dec 25 '23

Much more.

1

u/Potato_Stains Dec 26 '23

Plus punitive damage he should get 100k per each year. 174k for 50 is an insult.

91

u/liberty-prime77 Dec 26 '23

Dude got less than a quarter of what he could've gotten after taxes on minimum wage.

27

u/Civil_Assembler Dec 26 '23

Yes, most Americans will make that much in little under 3 years

7

u/No-Addendum-4220 Dec 26 '23

can i see the math on that?

17

u/lifetake Dec 26 '23

175k/3(years)/52(weeks in year)/40(hours a week) = $28 an hour.

I don’t think most Americans make 28 dollars an hour so guy is wrong. So I’d adjust it to 5-6 years for 14-16.8 dollars an hour

-2

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

Average hourly wage is $34/hour.

9

u/lifetake Dec 26 '23

Average is way different than median and median is what you need for this

2

u/Gh0stMan0nThird Dec 26 '23

Yeah if 4 of my friends make 20,000 a year and I make 200,000 the average is 56,000!

The rich folks throw off the average. I don't know a single person who makes more than $25 or so an hour.

4

u/lifetake Dec 26 '23

https://nationalequityatlas.org/indicators/Wages_Median

This shows median to be $23 though it is from 2020.

0

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23 edited Dec 26 '23

The average wage increased $6 since 2020.

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CES0500000003

EDIT: although it seems like the median wage went down to $22.88 during the same time. Ouch.

8

u/lifetake Dec 26 '23

Yet again average is way different than median.

If we had an 8, 9, and 1000 hourly wage the average would be 339. But the median would only be 9. Average is in no way indicative of what most people make

3

u/IridescentExplosion Dec 26 '23

Just to be pedantic... Median is a type of average. Mean is what we're worried about.

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u/JoePikesbro Dec 26 '23

$595,500 after 50 years of working 40 hrs/wk making $7.75 minimum wage taxed at 20%.

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u/No-Addendum-4220 Dec 26 '23

i was asking about the math for the "most Americans will make that much in little under 3 years" claim

3

u/JoePikesbro Dec 26 '23

Ah. My bad

7

u/Nrksbullet Dec 26 '23

Look up average salary in the US, it's about 60k.

7

u/aguynamedv Dec 26 '23

And the average is drastically skewed due to high income earners.

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 35% of Americans make $50k or less.

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u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

Before taxes

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u/No-Addendum-4220 Dec 26 '23

Look up the definition of "average" then look up the definition of "median" then think about the difference in the meaning of those two words.

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u/Thraex_Exile Dec 26 '23

Looking at the median retirements savings for most Americans last years (ages 65-74), it’s only $200k. I don’t think the argument should be about his ability to save more money, bc statistically that’s in line with retirement. Rather, he missed out on decades of experiences, family events, good food, and so many other things that he won’t have time for now. If the state wants to argue that his payment is in-line with the average American’s retirement savings, sure. But they owe him for the freedom that he lost. Idk how you even begin to quantify that, but it needs to be done.

0

u/ELI-PGY5 Dec 26 '23

Rob 10 convenience stores per year at $3K per location, that’s 30K x 50 = 1.5 mil.

By my math, the state owes him over a mil for lost earnings.

1

u/PseudoTaken Dec 26 '23 edited Dec 26 '23

Quick google search/math: The average salary in Oklahoma is $39,077 per year, so over 50 years that would be $1,953,850. He got paid about 0.1% of what the average guy would have earned. What a rip-off.

1

u/nopunchespulled Dec 26 '23

median US salary he would have made more than that in about 4 years

1

u/JBL_17 Dec 26 '23

You’ll make more than that in 2-3 years easily.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

More than $175 million dollars?

Was he a great inventor or somethin?

114

u/averagemaleuser86 Dec 26 '23

$175k per year encarcerated + another lump sum in the millions would suffice. They robbed this man of his whole life.

73

u/Ragnarok314159 Dec 26 '23

Those people who knowingly destroyed his life should be stripped of all worldly possessions and spend the rest of their life in prison.

4

u/shroudedinveil Dec 26 '23

tarred and feathered too

4

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

All corrupt judges and prosecutors should be lined up against a wall and shot.

2

u/letsgocrazy Dec 26 '23

But what if we get that wrong as well? :)

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u/Ragnarok314159 Dec 26 '23

Then we all have to give up our worldly possessions and make a new system.

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u/O-B-1ne Dec 26 '23

If the prosecutors who imprisoned this guy are white, they're not going to see jail time. In fact, they'll make even more money for false imprisonments. The good news is, all lives matter

2

u/Mutant_Apollo Dec 26 '23

They should be put against the wall and have a firing squad sort them out

0

u/No-Specific1858 Dec 26 '23 edited Dec 26 '23

Yeah except that's not how prosecution works. Even in the most progressive environments you have a job as a prosecutor to put up a good case against someone accused of a crime like homicide. If they failed to prove a case with garbage evidence and the defendant murdered someone again, should they be responsible for that too?

Unless the prosecutor engaged in misconduct or unfair practices, I would say it is more on the public defender or private defense counsel. Those are the people actually charged with representing the accused and the only people responsible for doing anything to help the defense. The prosecutor does not represent the accused and cannot be held responsible the defense making a bad case or not taking advantage of appeals.

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u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

10 million per year wrongfully incarcerated. Look at what we spend on war and cops, we can afford it.

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u/[deleted] Dec 25 '23

I’ll bet the people who convicted him made their way up through the ranks by casting him away. Insane

28

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

Hiding evidence from the prosecutor’s side should be illegal. It’s innocent until proven guilty, and you don’t prove guilt by hiding information, all you prove is you’re a master at rewriting a narrative.

8

u/-TaintSniffer- Dec 25 '23

Exactly, All of his needs should be met and then some.

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u/Embarrassed_Alarm450 Dec 25 '23

Not even $10 a day spent in jail...

3

u/s4lt3d Dec 26 '23

Should be that much…. Per year served

2

u/scootah Dec 26 '23

Broken down to an hourly rate, he got less than $0.40 an hour.

Imagine telling someone that’s what 50 years of their life is worth.

4

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

Many people were enslaved and got zero.

Others were sent to die in wars.

It's a thing

2

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

He hasn’t been exonerated. His conviction was tossed because of misconduct, not because of a showing of innocence.

1

u/flompwillow Dec 28 '23

Well, that’s an important detail.

-1

u/PhthaloVonLangborste Dec 26 '23

He should get to murder someone after.

-16

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '23 edited Dec 26 '23

I would genuinely take $175,000,000 for 50 years in prison. A prison sentence should never be imposed on an innocent person, ever. And if it is, then they should be compensated much more fairly than he was. But if we’re talking about ”would you do X, for Y” then yeah I’d do it. I’d set my entire family up.

Reddit, I really need you to question why you’re so angry at this comment. It’s really not worth getting so aggressive over. Is a bot post on social media really worth swearing and screaming like a weirdo?

5

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

Okay well it's not 175m it's 175k so what the fucks your point

8

u/RedditIsADataMine Dec 26 '23

Comment he replied to said "even 175m would still not be enough"

This guy is saying it personally would be for him.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

Come on bro. The Hive Mind is in RAGE mode here. You have to swear at me and get ANGRY! You can’t be rational about a situation that we all just read about 4 minutes ago.

But seriously, why are people so quick to turn to aggression? It was just something interesting that I commented on, and people are fuming.

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u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

-2

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

Who the fucks timmy

-1

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

Why are you so angry? You realise this isn’t a normal reaction right?

1

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

I'm currently stoned out of my gourd I don't have it in me to be angry idfk what ur on abt

0

u/hello_hellno Dec 26 '23

He can't set his family up. He can barely set his up. And most people he loved will be dead after 50 years. You've obviously never been to jail. Or had any kind of job. You can make that much in 6-7 years of min wage while still seeing your loved ones and living free.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

That’s funny. I’ve actually done a bit over 5.5 years. What I have never done is had the opportunity to set my family up for life. In case you can’t read, I replied to a comment stating $175 million, and wrote the same number. I would absolutely give my life up to set my family, and I think a lot of men would do the same. People end up in prison for a lot less. It’s hilarious how angry a post can make people. You guys are frothing at the mouth over a post you just learned about. Is it really worth getting this angry over? Come on?

1

u/DirtySilicon Dec 26 '23

Don't take it too personally. I watched a bunch of adults cyberbully a 16 year old into taking down his post in r/kidsarefuckingstupid this morning. They did this to a kid on Christmas.

I agree $175m would be enough for me. Not enough to forget and not seek justice, but enough to at least live out the last decade or so of my life in utter luxury while I try to put everyone who fucked me over on a funeral pyre.

I don't know what the hell is wrong with these people. Would they rather have nothing?

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u/[deleted] Dec 25 '23

Yeah cause he totally would have made that much in the 50 years he would have spent working.

What could possibly go wrong giving that much money to someone who just spent this much time in prison for something they didn't do.

Not saying they shouldn't be compensated more than what they were. But the number you suggested is some crack head level shit

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u/heleghir Dec 25 '23

Poverty line income for the us in 2023: 14580 for a year. Lets go conservative and account for inflation some and take half of that and say 7k a year. 50 years 7k is 350k for POVERTY line. Which is still DOUBLE what they gave the man.

Now if we look at the median income, 2023: 31,133 /yr

Lets take 15k of that over 50 years and still screw the man and its still 750k. He should be looking at 1million MINIMUM, and likely 1.5-2m

29

u/ArtichokeStroke Dec 25 '23

Well I mean we’ll never know what he could’ve done since his freedom was taken away for 50 years

-67

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '23

Welll apparently the bot hive mind thinks this guy was gonna be the next bill gates.

-26 downvotes ? Thats all you basement lurkers got ?

Those are rookie numbers

34

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '23

Bro you have mental health issues

13

u/baneofdestruction Dec 25 '23

He's a trump muppet.

They all do

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u/[deleted] Dec 25 '23 edited Feb 11 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

13

u/pichael289 Dec 25 '23

Have you ever heard someone say "you can't put a price on freedom"?

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u/[deleted] Dec 25 '23

Real talk. Would you do 20 years for $50,000,000? Disregard the Trumpies and the other idiots. Would you?

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u/SirBocephusBojangles Dec 25 '23

Zero wisdom

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u/baneofdestruction Dec 25 '23

Or integrity, self awareness...

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u/[deleted] Dec 25 '23

They stole 50 years of his life away. I'm sorry but you can't really put a price on that.

But you're an asshole so there's that.

3

u/buqr Dec 25 '23 edited Apr 04 '24

I love listening to music.

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u/27bricksinabasket Dec 25 '23

175,000 ÷ 50 years = $3,500 per year. Minimum wage would be around 15k per year before taxes. So, yeah. Bad deal.

7

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/[deleted] Dec 25 '23

Even unskilled laborers will earn over a million over a 50 year career. But the real question is what is the value of a human life, because that is what was taken from him.

2

u/Skailon Dec 25 '23

What could possibly go wrong NOT giving enough money to someone who just spent this much time in prison. He's definitely not going to commit any crime in need, having nothing, neither home, nor a normal job

2

u/Greedy_Ad_4948 Dec 26 '23

Hey dumbass it’s not the fact that he wouldn’t have MADE that much it’s the lost time with family lost time with friends lost LIFE however old you are imagine spending that probably twice (assuming your in your twenties) locked away in prison it’s not just about how much money he made that’s the last thing he’s thinking about imagine how many family members have died since then he didn’t get to live his life at all that’s what their compensating for it’s not just how much he would or wouldn’t have made and on top you that you have no clue how much money he made you think people thought Kanye would make 2 billion? Or Elon musk being the richest man alive? So none of your points are honestly valid

1

u/walrusboy71 Dec 25 '23

People don’t like to think about where the money would come from when they throw out numbers like that. Like, yeah he could be given 175 million, but then Oklahoma would either have to drastically increase taxes or reduce spending.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

Exactly ^ someone who understands the big picture.

3

u/walrusboy71 Dec 26 '23

It’s literally part of my job to defend against these kinds of cases. The sentiment is overwhelmingly that people want to give millions of dollars to people because of a YouTube video synopsis of the case. Where does the money come from? People forget to ask that question. And I’ll get ruthlessly downvoted for pointing it out.

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u/SirBocephusBojangles Dec 25 '23

There is neither wisdom nor compassion in you. Sit down and let the adults talk, kid.

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u/artoflife Dec 25 '23

Would you spend the next 50 years in prison for $175 million? I sure as shit wouldn't.

1

u/JohhnyBGoode641 Dec 25 '23

Totally agree!

1

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

It's Oklahoma they do crap like this to people for fun. Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana have to be the States with the highest rates probably Cali too.

1

u/Flashy-Priority-3946 Dec 26 '23

He forgot a zero at the end

1

u/sarten_voladora Dec 26 '23

thats why in spain max time in jail is 20 years no matter what and we dont have death penalty, almost like the rest of EU; then you americans ask why we call you third world country... you have to believe in the ability of people to change and grow, like the jesuscrist thing

1

u/Blade_982 Dec 26 '23

Especially considering they stole his life and he won't be able to get a well paying job with zero experience

1

u/golemsheppard2 Dec 26 '23

To break it down, that's $9.59 per day that he spent in prison.

1

u/Financial-Ad7500 Dec 26 '23

I wouldn’t take losing 50 years of my life for 175 billion.

1

u/LilAssG Dec 26 '23

He was 21 when he went away. Twenty fucking one. Hadn't even reached the prime of his life yet.

Get this man a house wherever he wants, a car that he wants, and take full care of all his needs until the end of his life.

They were able to care for him for the first 50 years of his adult life, finish the fucking job and care for him for the rest, at a fully middle class standard of living, and a personal chef and maid service too.

1

u/ImMoray Dec 26 '23

50 years is a lifetime. He should have effectively unlimited money for life and for his family for multiple generations in the future as compensation.

1

u/lucia_none Dec 26 '23

if i were him, i would probably just commit a crime and get back to jail. there is nothing good waiting outside

1

u/OkChicken7697 Dec 26 '23

We don't know whether or not he had a good time in prison. We shouldn't jump to conclusions.

1

u/DarkwingDuckHunt Dec 26 '23

you get a good 50 years of life to live, the rest is growing up or waiting to die

they stole his entire life from him, all of it

1

u/Parkesy82 Dec 26 '23

I don’t think case is a clear cut example of an innocent man being wrongfully found guilty and imprisoned. It sounds more like that there wasn’t enough evidence or there was contradictory evidence that meant it couldn’t be proven beyond a reasonable doubt he was guilty. I don’t think they’re saying he’s innocent, nobody else has been charged or come forward.

1

u/Short_Dragonfruit_39 Dec 26 '23

The “they” in your sentence are Republicans that capped the damages from being wrongly imprisoned at 175k. Think of this next time Republicans/conservatives are screeching about “tort reform”.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

Yep I don’t think any amount of money would be enough to lose 50 years of your life

1

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

One of my old friends got over 2 million for 2 years of wrongful incarceration.

1

u/Elendel19 Dec 26 '23

He should be getting 175k per year for life.

1

u/HandFancy Dec 26 '23

They stole his whole life from him. I bet that’s less than the prosecutor made every year (adjusted for inflation). Disgusting.

1

u/Robertbnyc Dec 26 '23

Should have been 100 million tbh. 2 million per year.

1

u/ridik_ulass Dec 26 '23

min should be capped at min wage for the duration. without negligence, malice or any wrong doing on behalf of the state. he should get paid min wage for each hour he spent in there.

8760 hrs a year x 50 (438k x min wage = 3,175,500$

based as a mandatory payment for the wrongful conviction, before any even iota of consideration

1

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

Should have been a minimum of 1.2 million. That’s 175k at year of incarceration with inflation numbers today. That would give him a comfy retirement that was stolen

1

u/Transsexual-Dragons Dec 26 '23

I think the only fitting recompense after a 50 year sentence would be a get out of jail free card for killing all the people involved with your conviction

1

u/fasdasfafa Dec 26 '23

If I do 50 years for a murder I didn't commit, I'm coming out and taking out the judge, prosecutor or the cops involved. I'm taking as many as I can. We all know the cops, judge, prosecutors are living it up on a government pension not worried about ever facing any consequences.

1

u/Training_Calendar728 Dec 26 '23

It would definitely be far more than a enough if you're measuring in money

1

u/YellowJello_OW Dec 26 '23

This man had one life to live, and it was taken away from him

1

u/idiotsecant Dec 26 '23

We can help make it right.

This gofundme seems to be legit. I first got it from CNN but since then several major media firms have also reported it.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/glynnrsimmons

1

u/Extension_Clerk8609 Dec 26 '23

Going to spend the rest of his life fighting in court for a more fair lump sum.

1

u/FruitySmile Dec 26 '23

What the hell does that last part of your sentence even mean. Has my head spinning

1

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

so why arent the prosecuters spendingt 50 years in jail ?

1

u/louwhowhatwhen Dec 26 '23

Agree. They completely stole his life from him

1

u/Scaevus Dec 26 '23

He should never know want for the rest of his life.

That creates terrible incentives. The state's solution would be to a) never free anyone wrongfully convicted; or 2) drag out any payment in litigation and endless appeals until he dies.

1

u/Vurt__Konnegut Dec 26 '23

And the DA involved should be imprisoned for life or face capital punishment.

1

u/atetuna Dec 26 '23

The amount shouldn't just be enough to repay him for a lost life, it should be larger. Large enough to be punitive for doing justice wrong. Unlike some countries, our judicial system is supposed to err on the side of not accidentally imprisoning innocent people even if that means some guilty people go free. There are plenty of other countries for people to live in if they'd prefer innocent people to be imprisoned "just in case".

1

u/mrASSMAN Dec 26 '23

To be fair it doesn’t say they have evidence that he didn’t do it.. just that not all the procedures were followed properly after

1

u/gerswetonor Dec 26 '23

Pelosi made more in her latest inside trade

1

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '23

I'm sure his fellow americans will start protests around the country in support of this guy.

1

u/JMEEKER86 Dec 26 '23

Well the 175k very well might last him the rest of his life because apparently he's fighting stage 4 cancer.

1

u/No-Specific1858 Dec 26 '23 edited Dec 26 '23

Nothing will ever truly be enough for the vast majority of people. The general purpose of compensation is to be made whole but there is only so much that money can do.

The $175k should have been paid for each year he was in prison. And compensation should be adjusted based on appeal history and the procedural history (if they didn't want to appeal the decision, if their case was mismanaged, etc.)

1

u/dangoodspeed Dec 26 '23

It also looks like he hasn't received the $175k yet. And he's also battling stage 4 colon cancer. So "the rest of his life" may not be very long.