Man wrongfully imprisoned for 31 years gets $75, seeks state compensation
A Tennessee man, who was imprisoned for 31 years for a crime he did not commit, is seeking state compensation. He only received $75 to start a new life after DNA testing proved that he did not take part in the rape that he was accused of.
In 1997, a Memphis woman identified Lawrence McKinney, then 22, as one of the individuals who broke into her home and raped her. He was convicted the following year and received a sentence of 100 years' imprisonment for rape and 10 to 15 years for burglary.
Results of the DNA test of the bodily fluid found on the woman's bed linens cleared McKinney of the charges in 2008, and in 2009, he was released by the Tennessee Department of Corrections, with a check of $75 to help him start over.
In September, The Tennessee Board of Parole made recommendations that McKinney's request for exoneration should be denied, arguing that the absence of his DNA in the rape scene was not convincing enough of his innocence. It was the second time that McKinney failed to get a recommendation for exoneration from the board.
Exoneration would have made McKinney eligible for state compensation amounting to around $1 million for the decades that he served prison time for something he did not commit.
According to Melissa McDonald, spokesperson for the Tennessee Board of Parole, as reported by CNN, "The (parole) board reviewed all relevant information related to the crime, conviction and subsequent appeals, as well as all information provided by the petitioner." She added, "After considering all of the evidence, the board did not find clear and convincing evidence of innocence and declined to recommend clemency in this matter."
The board, however, is not a decision-making body. Mckinney's fate, as far as getting exonerated is concerned, lies in the hands of Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.
The Tennessean reports that according to David Raybin, one of McKinney's lawyers, they will ask request directly from the governor to exonerate his client while pointing out that the latter has received tremendous public support.
McKinney, now married, finds support from his community at Immanuel Baptist Church in Lebanon, Tennessee.
"Although I've spent more than half of my life locked up for a crime I did not do, I am not bitter or angry at anyone, because I have found the Lord and married a good wife," McKinney said, according to CNN. "All I ask is that I be treated right and fair for what has happened to me. I didn't do nothing, and I just want to be treated right," he added.
