The New York Times reports that Jabbar Collins, who spent 16 years in prison after being wrongly accused of murder, has settled with the city for $10 million. He was convicted in 1994 of killing an Orthodox rabbi under district attorney Charles J. Hynes. Collins’ lawyer Joel B. Rubin found that Hynes used dubious practices in his original conviction. Collins discovered these problems himself when he was fighting his case from prison.
But as Mr. Collins researched the case from prison and contacted the witnesses, he uncovered problems with their stories. One said he had been offered a perk by the district attorney’s office in return for testimony, and two others said they had been threatened by lawyers for the office. Mr. Collins also found that a prosecutor did not turn over potentially exculpatory evidence to the defense.
This is just one of several cases of wrongful conviction that have been brought forth this year. David Ranta, who spend 23 years in prison, settled for $6.4 million. (Image: Wikipedia)
