The Maryland state board just paid Demetrius Smith over $300k in compensation with an apology on the side for his wrongful conviction that was overturned over ten years ago. He spent five years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit.
In 2008, Smith was arrested for a murder with the only evidence being a witness testimony from a person who turned out to not even be at the scene of the killing, said Governor Wes Moore. While on bail, two months later, Smith was arrested again but for first-degree assault and on the same measly evidence: a witness testimony. That statement was later recanted, per the governor. However, in 2010, Smith was still found guilty of the charges and sentenced to life in prison with an additional 18 years (like that’s even humanly possible).
In 2011, the state attorney’s office finally found the guy who actually did the murder and Smith had his murder charge dropped. Though, it took until 2013 for him to challenge the assault charge with an Alford plea (not admitting guilt but acknowledging there’s enough evidence for a conviction). In a victory, his sentence was modified to time served and probation, per CBS News.
Now, he’s getting a check for the years he spent locked up for someone else’s crime.
Read more from CBS News:
Gov. Wes Moore, who chairs the three-member Board of Public Works, apologized to Smith before the board approved the settlement, noting that it’s been more than a decade since his release in 2013.
“We’re here today more than 10 years after he was released from incarceration, providing Mr. Smith with long overdue justice that he was deprived of, an apology from the state of Maryland that until today he’s never received,” Moore told Smith, who attended the hearing in person.
“I am deeply sorry for the fact that our justice system failed you not once, but our justice system failed you twice, and while no amount of money can make up for what was taken from you, the action this board is taking today represents a formal acknowledgment from the state for the injustice that was caused,” Moore told Smith.
Last year, state legislators proposed a bill to investigate wrongful convictions and notify the Attorney General’s office when someone is eligible for compensation based on a wrongful conviction. Maryland saw 35 cases across six jurisdictions where people were found wrongfully convicted, according to the National Innocence Project.
Smith walked away with a $340,000 for a settlement Wednesday in compensation. It’s unclear at the moment if he will fight further to expunge his record. He can’t get that time back but at least he got justice.