Melanson Law Office P.C.
$18 Million Each for 2 Wrongfully Convicted New Yorkers
Thankfully that was not the case for 2 wrongfully convicted individuals in Nassau County who were recently awarded $18 million each for having spent 18 years of their lives being punished for a crime they didn’t commit.
The crime in question relates to the rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl back in the 80s. Three men, including the 2 who were awarded $18 million, were arrested in connection with the crime. In 2003, when DNA evidence surfaced surrounding the case, the charges against the 3 men were dismissed. The real suspect in the case was never found.
The conviction for the 3 men initially came about by evidence being planted against them, with one particular county detective planting hairs in one suspect’s van and hiding evidence which might have prevented a conviction in the first place.
An $18 million conviction is relatively unheard of when it comes to wrongful conviction cases, but as the 2 men’s attorney, Nick Brustin, states: “Today, a jury finally acknowledged what the county never has – that its own officers’ intentional misconduct robbed these innocent men of eighteen years of their lives.”
The 3rd man involved in this case is currently appealing his wrongful conviction case.
