Justice is finally being served.
As reported on NBC, a man named Grant Williams spent over two decades in jail for a crime he didn’t commit.
New York City has agreed to pay $7 million to Williams. He spent 23 years behind bars for murder, but he’s not the murderer. Last July, Williams was exonerated for the 1996 shooting of Shdell Lewis outside a Staten Island public housing complex.After Williams was cleared last year, he filed a notice of claim, the first step to filing a lawsuit against the city. The city settled and
Williams’ attorney, Irving Cohen, said the city “did the right thing.” He said it was good that the city decided to settle quickly and went on to say, “This will assist him in going forward and trying to get back on his feet. In addition, the state recently settled a separate claim from Williams for $5 million.
There was no physical, forensic, or digital evidence at the trial that connected Williams to the crime. Some witnesses testified that he wasn’t the gunman. The officer that chased the gunman initially gave a description that didn’t match Williams. The outlet reports, “Another eyewitness, a friend of the victim’s, had also told investigators that Williams wasn’t the gunman. But police didn’t tell prosecutors about it until after he was indicted, and that witness didn’t testify at the trial.” Williams appealed his conviction for years but was unsuccessful until Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon’s office agreed to review it. Prosecutors joined Williams in helping him seek Justice.
Williams earned his associate’s degree behind bars. While he’s free, he hopes to help other wrongfully convicted people and help people steer clear of crime, the publication reports.
Another witness said he was with Williams all night the day of the shooting at the WuTang Clan Recording Studio.
Read more here: https://t.co/e6xCvUnJ4C
— PIX11 News (@PIX11News) May 23, 2022