Current:Home > FinanceNYC will pay $17.5 million to man who was wrongly convicted of 1996 murders -RiskWatch
NYC will pay $17.5 million to man who was wrongly convicted of 1996 murders
View
Date:2025-04-17 09:51:05
NEW YORK (AP) — New York City will pay $17.5 million to a man who spent 24 years in prison for a double homicide he did not commit, city officials said Thursday.
The settlement in the case of George Bell, one of three men convicted for the 1996 killing of a Queens check-cashing store owner and an off-duty police officer, was first reported by The New York Times.
A judge threw out the convictions of Bell and the other two men in 2021 and they were released from the Green Haven Correctional Facility,
The judge, Joseph A. Zayas of the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court, said prosecutors in the cases of Bell, Gary Johnson and Rohan Bolt withheld exculpatory evidence that other people might have committed the slayings.
“The district attorney’s office deliberately withheld from the defense credible information of third-party guilt,” Zayas said. He said that the prosecution had “completely abdicated its truth-seeking role in these cases.”
The exonerations of Bell, Johnson and Bolt happened after Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz set up a conviction integrity unit to review past cases that might have resulted in wrongful convictions.
Katz was first elected district attorney in 2019. At the time the men were exonerated, she said could not stand behind their convictions.
The December 1996 killings of check-cashing store owner Ira Epstein and Officer Charles Davis, working off-duty as a security guard, sparked an intense manhunt, with then-mayor Rudy Giuliani and police officials vowing they “would not rest” until they found the killers.
Bell was 19 when he was arrested on Dec. 24, 1996. He and Johnson initially confessed to involvement in the crime but later recanted. Bolt denied his guilt.
No physical evidence tied any of the men to the crime, according to court papers, and documents that came to light later showed that the police had connected the killings to members of an armed robbery gang that was operating in the area.
But the men were convicted in separate trials and sentenced to between 50 years and life in prison.
Bell’s attorney, Richard Emery, said Thursday, “Recognition from this settlement that George’s torture was unimaginably severe and horrifying vindicates him and his never-ending quest for justice.”
Emery said the deal with the city comes after Bell reached a $4.4 million settlement with the state.
Bell’s $17.5 million settlement with New York City likely won’t be the last payout in the case. Johnson and Bolt have cases pending.
veryGood! (38598)
Related
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- Miley Cyrus Leaves Dad Billy Ray Cyrus Out of Grammys Acceptance Speech
- Is The Current Hurricane Warning System Outdated?
- Doctor who prescribed 500,000 opioids in 2-year span has conviction tossed, new trial ordered
- Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
- North Carolina, Gonzaga headline winners and losers from men's college basketball weekend
- A Vanderpump Villa Staff Fight Breaks Out in Explosive Trailer
- Dakota Johnson Channels Madame Web in Must-See Naked Spider Gown
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- American Idol’s Lauren Alaina Marries Cam Arnold
Ranking
- 'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
- Taylor Swift makes Grammys history with fourth album of the year win for 'Midnights'
- Taylor Swift announces new album The Tortured Poets Department during Grammys acceptance speech
- 15 Must-Have Black-Owned Skincare and Beauty Brands That Are Breaking Barriers
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Beyoncé shies away from limelight, Taylor Swift fangirls: What you didn’t see on TV at the Grammys
- Over 100,000 Bissell vacuums recalled over potential fire hazard from a hot battery
- Taylor Swift wore white dress with black accessories on Grammys red carpet
Recommendation
Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
Céline Dion Makes Rare Public Appearance at 2024 Grammys Amid Health Battle
'Survivor' Season 46 cast: Meet the 18 contestants playing to win $1 million in Fiji
Why Kelsea Ballerini Missed the 2024 Grammys Red Carpet
How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
15 Must-Have Black-Owned Skincare and Beauty Brands That Are Breaking Barriers
Kingsley Ben-Adir takes on Bob Marley in the musical biopic One Love
McDonald's menu to have new additions: Shamrock Shake and Oreo Shamrock McFlurry