An unusual incident in California sparked widespread public discussion. Maurice Hastings, who spent 38 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit, was paid $25 million in compensation by the state. According to The Guardian, this is the largest payment for an illegal conviction in California's history.
Hastings spent many years seeking justice to prove his innocence. He was sentenced to prison in 1983 for the murder of a woman named Roberta Weidermayer. However, a DNA examination conducted in 2022 showed that he was completely innocent. In reality, the traces left at the crime scene turned out to belong to another person.
It turned out that the DNA evidence belonged to Kenneth Packnett, who was arrested shortly after the death of Roberta Weidermayer and later imprisoned for a number of crimes. The deceased's belongings were also found in his possession, but at that time, the police and the prosecutor's office ignored these traces and placed the blame on Hastings. Paknett died in prison in 2020.
Only in 2000 was the DNA test required by Hastings performed 21 years later, and the results revealed the real killer. In 2023, the court officially found him innocent.
"No money can repay the 38 years of life that were stolen from me," Hastings, 72, said in an interview after the court decision.
His lawyer, Nick Brustin, emphasized that this incident should serve as a lesson and warning for law enforcement agencies throughout the country.
Thus, one person's long-standing struggle for innocence not only restored personal justice but also exposed major errors in the system.
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