After spending 24 years in prison due to a wrongful conviction, Darryl Anthony Howard will finally receive a settlement from the city of Durham, North Carolina.
Back in 1995, Howard was falsely convicted on two counts of second-degree murder for the 1991 killings of Doris Washington and her 13-year-old daughter, Nishonda.
Authorities believed that Howard strangled them both. Howard was also accused of setting their home on fire. He was ultimately sentenced to two consecutive 40-year terms for the two murders as well as one 40-year term for arson.
But in 2016, the convictions were overturned after DNA evidence indicted two other men. Durham County prosecutors wound up dismissing the charges against Howard. DNA evidence suggested that Washington and her daughter were victims of sexual assault before they were set on fire.
None of the DNA evidence connected Howard to the crime scene or as the suspected rapist. The was an eyewitness who testified against Howard during the case reportedly recanted his story to law enforcement.
Howard’s conviction was initially vacated in 2014 and he was released on bond. However, the state responded with an appeal. The Innocence Project then took on Howard’s case and revealed new DNA evidence that led to a reversal of his conviction.
Even though he was pardoned by Gov. Roy Cooper and awarded a $6 million settlement by a federal jury, the city of Durham declined to pay. After several years, Howard’s lawyer Bradley Bannon shared that Howard had finally reached a settlement with the city.
In reaction to the settlement, Howard stated: “I fought every day for the 24 years I was in jail, trying to prove my innocence....I missed living, you know – living a free life. It’s hard to put into words. I’m frustrated, angry, all of these emotions. If you didn’t do nothing wrong, you shouldn’t be imprisoned.”