VINDICATED

Ohio Awards $1 Million to Exonerated Man

After serving 39 years in jail.

An Ohio court awarded an estimated $1 million to a Cleveland man for a wrongful conviction that led him to spend 39 years in jail for a murder he did not commit, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported Thursday. An Ohio Court of Claims awarded the sum to Ricky Jackson, who was released from prison last year and is the longest serving person in U.S. history to be exonerated for a crime. Jackson first learned of the news from a reporter. “Wow, wow, wow. That’s fantastic, man. I don’t even know what to say. This is going to mean so much,” he said. Jackson was falsely convicted with two others for the 1975 murder of a local money-order salesman, based on the testimony of a 12-year-old boy who said he witnessed the attack. The boy recanted his testimony years later.