North Carolina man who spent 44-years behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit says the $750,000 he received from the state is not enough (basically he was paid less than $18,000 for each year he spent behind bars).
Ronnie Long tells WCNC-TV in Charlotte:
“North Carolina intentionally put me in the penitentiary and you tell me $750,000 is worth 44 years of my life? You killed my mother and my father...
...you put me in the penitentiary for 44 years and during that time you destroy evidence, you lose evidence, tamper with the jury, you commit perjury and everything about the trial was a mockery.”
Back in August the courts ruled Ronnie Long had been wrongfully convicted and he was freed 44 years after he was sent to prison.
Then in December, the governor pardoned him, so he could receive compensation from the state.
WCNC-TV reports that the amount is based on a state statute that said the state will pay someone who was wrongfully convicted $50,000 a year for their time in prison – but the amount is capped at $750,000.So he did not get paid for more than two-thirds of the time he spent behind bars.
“we’re grateful the pardon was issued and that he had some means of financial security. Of course, $750,000 is a meager sum when you think of 44 years of your life.That cap is completely inadequate when you can consider people losing so much time in their lives."