In 1983, brothers Henry McCollum and Leon Brown were wrongfully convicted of raping and murdering an 11-year-old girl and spent 31 years in prison. Now, the North Carolina federal civil rights case has awarded them $75 million in compensatory damages.
The News & Observer reported that the two should be awarded $31 million each, $1 million for every year spent in prison, and 13 million in punitive damages.
During the trial, McCollum and Brown, who are intellectually disabled with IQs in the 50s, were charged after they signed confessions they didn’t understand.
Attorney Elliot Abrams said after the trial, “The first jury to hear all of the evidence — including the wrongly suppressed evidence — found Henry and Leon to be innocent, found them to have been demonstrably and excruciatingly wronged, and has done what the law can do to make it right at this late date.”
In a statement, the attorney and legal team of the two also said, “for recognition of the grave injustice” caused by the wrongful conviction was finally over.
The statement added, “a jury … has finally given Henry and Leon the ability to close this horrific chapter of their lives. They look forward to a brighter future surrounded by friends, family, and loved ones.”
McCollum and Brown, who were teenagers at the time of their arrest, were released from prison in 2014 after DNA evidence was discovered that pointed to a convicted murderer; they were exonerated as well.
McCollum spent most of his 31 years in prison on death row, and Brown, who has mentally disabling conditions resulting from this prison sentence, requires full-time care, had his sentence updated to life in prison.
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On May 14, the final judgment took place against former SBI agents Leroy Allen and Kenneth Snead, who were part of the original investigation.
Robeson County Sheriff’s Office settled its part of the case for $9 million, and the town of Red Springs settled in 2017 for $1 million.
Even after the two brothers had been pardoned for the crimes, Scott MacLatchie, the lead defense attorney for the SBI agents, attempted to question the brothers’ innocence.
“I’ve got my freedom,” McCollum said. “There’s still a lot of innocent people in prison today. And they don’t deserve to be there.”
“I thank God,” McCollum added, his eyes rimmed red from crying.
