According to reports, a North Carolina man named Darryl Howard was awarded $6 million in damages by a federal jury after spending over 20 years in prison for a wrongful murder conviction.
Howard was convicted of the murder of Doris Washington and her 13-year-old daughter in 1991. However, a former detective named Darryl Dowdy reportedly fabricated evidence to get Howard convicted. Howard served 23 years of the 80-year sentence he was handed before his conviction was put aside in August 2016.
Howard spoke on the decision, saying, “I’m happy about the verdict, but I’m just kind of upset about the damages. Twenty-three years of my life… but I’m happy about the verdict.” Howard reportedly filed a federal civil rights suit in 2017 that accused the city of Durham, Darryl Dowdy, and more of a wrongful conviction.
Howard had hoped to get $48 million in damages as requested and noted he doesn’t feel like justice has been served in the matter. “I’m not gonna put a value on it, I mean, just imagine 23 years I stayed in prison. It’s the lowest [amount] I’ve ever heard of but it is what it is,” said Howard.
source: News Observer
