US man awarded $1 million after wrongfully imprisoned 27 years

After being exonerated by fresh DNA evidence, Michael Sullivan, who was imprisoned for more than 27 years in a Massachusetts jail for a crime he adamantly denied committing, was given $1 million in compensation.

Sullivan, who is currently 61, was found guilty in 1985 and given a life sentence without the possibility of release. When improvements in DNA testing demonstrated his innocence and overturned his conviction, he was freed in 2013.

A Massachusetts court earlier this month awarded Sullivan $13 million (£10 million) in damages. However, the amount of money he may get is limited by state laws that cap compensation for wrongful convictions at $1 million.

Sullivan suffered significant personal losses during his decades-long confinement, including the passing of his mother and four siblings.

The money is appreciated, but it “will never make up for the 27 years stolen from me, or the loved ones I lost while I was in prison,” he added in a statement.

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cc: Daily Post Ng