A Los Angeles man will receive a sum of $8 million after serving 17 years behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit.
Obie Anthony and his friend Anthony Cole were sentenced to life in prison without any possibility of parole for the murder of Felipe Gonzales Angeles during an alleged robbery.
Los Angeles Police Detective, Pete Razanskas investigated the case. According to the LA Times, Razanskas was said to have picked up six rounds of bullets at the scene of the crime. However, the detective did not keep the bullets as evidence. Instead, he handed them over to the reporter on the scene, Miles Corvin, as a souvenir.
Anthony’s lawyer suggested that the bullets be subjected to ballistics tests. He then determined that the round of bullets came from the weapon that was possibly used to kill Angeles and could have helped identify the killer.
The trials were based on witness testimonials and no factual evidence. The detectives determined that the two men must have gotten the injuries at the scene of the crime during the gunfire.
In 2009, the case was overturned and Anthony was released from prison. Anthony sued detectives from wrongful imprisonment and alleged that LAPD used wrongful methods.
Now, Anthony has $8 million to make up for time spent in prison.
