classical 88.7 | public radio 89.5

State Pays for Wrongful Convictions

FIle Photo

Two former Oklahoma death row inmates and their attorneys have settled wrongful conviction lawsuits against the state for a total of $3.15 million.

Records obtained by The Oklahoman through an Open Records request show Yancy Douglas settled his lawsuit in August for $1 million and Paris Powell settled in September for $2.15 million.

The two men were convicted in the 1993 fatal shooting of 14-year-old Shauna Farrow in Oklahoma City.

The convictions were overturned in 2009 by a federal appeals court that found prosecutor Brad Miller committed misconduct by knowingly using false testimony from the only eyewitness to the shooting. Prosecutors did not retry the case.

Miller says the eyewitness was the target of the shooting and changed his account of the shooting after being intimidated in prison.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email