A former auto worker who spent 45 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit has been awarded $1.5 million by the US state of Michigan as restitution for his wrongful conviction.
Richard Phillips was convicted in 1972 and sentenced to life in prison “based almost entirely” on the false testimony of one witness, according to prosecutors.
He was 27 when he entered the prison and is now 73.
The state will also pay more than $780,000 to Neal Redick, imprisoned nearly 16 years for sexual assault of a minor, before he was exonerated and released in 2007.
Also, former reserve police officer Raymond McCann will receive approximately $40,000, after he was exonerated of perjury in 2017.
