Exonerated Tennessee man seeks $1M after 31 years in prison

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Updated 2:20 pm, Thursday, December 28, 2017

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee man who spent more than 31 years in prison before new DNA evidence led to his rape and burglary conviction being overturned is asking the state for $1 million in damages.

The Tennessean reports lawyers for 61-year-old Lawrence McKinney of Wilson County filed the request with the state Board of Claims on Thursday.

McKinney's 1978 conviction in Memphis was overturned in 2009, and he was released from prison. But he couldn't ask for compensation until Gov. Bill Haslam exonerated him Dec. 20.

It's typical for exonerated people to apply for and receive money if they served time on an overturned conviction.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Exonerated-Tennessee-man-seeks-1M-after-31-years-12459959.php

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Lawrence McKinney

[benld74]

1. $31250 per year? Wow

[kimbutgar]

2. He needs to get 5 million

1 million is chump change for destroying this mans life.

[TexasBushwhacker]

5. The legal maximum is $1 Million

His original conviction was years before DNA was being used as evidence in trials.

[NewJeffCT]

10. Connecticut gave a guy a lot more than that

years ago for less time served.

https://patch.com/connecticut/newhaven/9-5-million-settlement-new-haven-wrongful-imprisonment-suit

[TexasBushwhacker]

16. The limit in Tennessee is $1 Million

It says it in the article.

[old guy]

3. Only a million?

Far too little.

[RazBerryBeret]

4. Seems like far too little...

I hope they just give it to him, a very reasonable request... but doesn't he have a lawyer? someone should have counseled him on this. but if he has a lawyer, will he have to hand over part of the settlement? this doesn't seem right.

[TexasBushwhacker]

7. If his attorney is from the Innocence Project

he probably has to pay them little or nothing.

[politicaljunkie41910]

13. Heck he was exonerated in 2009. That was 8 almost 9 years ago. I don't think they are just going to

give it to him. The dragging of their feet is unconscionable.

[Codeine]

18. No, he wasnt actually exonerated

until a few days ago.

Which of course makes the whole thing even more inexcusable. Fuckin Tennessee.

[bluestarone]

6. he's getting robbed

should get lots more

[htuttle]

8. One MILLION dollars

I think he's lost track of inflation over the last 31 years.

He ought to add some zeros on that.

[rpannier]

12. Per the article

McKinney's lawyers said in the request that other exonerated people have received $37,000 to $71,000 per year of wrongful imprisonment. The legal maximum is $1 million.

[Hav]

9. That's sad

Spending so many years of your life in prison for a crime you didn't commit. That has to take a toll physically and mentally. And then he had to wait another 8 years to be able to ask for compensation.

[RandomAccess]

11. He ought to see $100 million, or at least $31 million

[clementine613]

14. There's no way that Trump will allow payment to be made...

... doing so would be acknowledging that he made a mistake in the first place, and we know that will never happen.

[Calista241]

17. This has nothing to do with Trump

His trial was over 40 years ago, and he was released from prison nearly 10 years ago. And that’s saying nothing about it being a Tennessee State case that has zero to do with any Federal entity.

[Codeine]

19. Trump?

Not a Federal case.

[potone]

15. Before I even clicked on the title, I knew this had to be a black man.

It is unthinkable that a white man would both have had to wait so long for exoneration and for payment of this totally inadequate compensation for the irreplaceable years of his life that he has lost.

What a heartbreaking and enraging story. I hope that he has managed to retain the strength necessary to win this battle and go on to enjoy the rest of his life. I say this knowing that it must be extremely difficult to do after so many years of false imprisonment, with no one believing him when he said that he was innocent.