Man denied compensation due to clerical error after being wrongly imprisoned 20 years
Chris Spags In a situation where it seems you possibly couldn’t have worse luck, Anthony Graves was imprisoned on death row in Texas for 18 years. When he was released, a judge omitted the phrase “actual innocence” in the court order issuing his release. The omission of that phrase could cost Graves $1.4 million.
The Texas state comptroller denied Graves’ compensation for the $1.4 million he would have been eligible for had the words been in the judge’s order.
The special prosecutor on Graves’ case, who recommended Graves’ release, said the words “actual innocence” are not ones typically used in the courtroom despite the state’s guidelines that state the court order must contain “on its face” that the person was released on “actual innocence”.
State law for compensations for wrongful imprisonment say that Graves would have been entitled to $80,000 per year of jail time he had to serve wrongly — a sum equaling over $1.4 million.
Graves told the Houston Chronicle, “”Nothing has ever been easy for me on this road to justice. I haven’t given up on it and I hope justice will prevail and I’ll be compensated.”
Graves had been convicted in 1994 of killing Bobbie Davis along with Davis’ 16-year-old daughter, Nicole, and her four grandchildren. The conviction was reversed in 2006.
I sincerely hope this dude Graves gets everything he deserves and more. It would be somewhat ironic if Graves killed the comptroller and went back to jail, though. I bet as the knife was plunged into his heart, the comptroller and Graves would share a glance, a deep breath, and a quick chuckle. Life is funny that way, sometimes. And stabby. Very stabby.
State rejects compensation for wrongly convicted man [Houston Chronicle]
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