Two North Carolina brothers who spent over 30 years in prison for a murder they did not commit have been awarded a historic $75m (£53m) settlement. Henry McCollum and Leon Brown were exonerated in 2014 after DNA evidence proved their innocence.
The jury ruled on Friday that the brothers receive $31m each in compensatory damages—$1m for every year incarcerated—plus $13m in punitive damages. Their lawyers say this is the largest combined settlement in a wrongful conviction case in US history.
McCollum and Brown were convicted in 1983 for the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl. They were coerced into signing confessions after hours of interrogation without a lawyer. Both had cognitive difficulties and could barely read. No physical evidence linked them to the crime.
The true perpetrator, Roscoe Artis, was identified through DNA testing in 2014. He is serving life in prison for similar offences. The brothers were fully pardoned in 2015.
Wrongful convictions disproportionately affect African Americans, who are seven times more likely to be wrongfully convicted of murder than white people. The National Registry of Exonerations has recorded 2,784 exonerations since 1989.
While North Carolina law caps compensation at $750,000 for exonerated individuals, this civil settlement bypasses that limit. Legal experts say the award could encourage future settlements rather than trials, but also highlights ongoing issues with police misconduct and accountability.
