On Friday, May 5, a federal jury awarded Earl Washington, Jr. $2.25 million, after finding that he was falsely imprisoned after police fabricated his confession. Washington had sued the estate of Curtis Lee Wilmore, the State investigator who arrested Washington and obtained his confession for the rape and murder of Rebecca Lynn Williams in 1983. This confession was subsequently proved false by DNA testing that excludes Washington, indicating that the crime was committed by a convicted serial rapist who is currently behind bars. Washington’s lawyers accused Wilmore, who died in 1994, of feeding the mildly retarded Washington crime scene details in order to produce a false confession.—Will Goldsmith
Washington wins $2.25M
On Friday, May 5, a federal jury awarded Earl Washington, Jr. $2.25 million, after finding that he was falsely imprisoned after police fabricated his confession.
On Friday, May 5, a federal jury awarded Earl Washington, Jr. $2.25 million, after finding that he was falsely imprisoned after police fabricated his confession. Washington had sued the estate of Curtis Lee Wilmore, the State investigator who arrested Washington and obtained his confession for the rape and murder of Rebecca Lynn Williams in 1983. This confession was subsequently proved false by DNA testing that excludes Washington, indicating that the crime was committed by a convicted serial rapist who is currently behind bars. Washington’s lawyers accused Wilmore, who died in 1994, of feeding the mildly retarded Washington crime scene details in order to produce a false confession.—Will Goldsmith