An Oklahoma city will pay more than $7 million in damages to Glynn Simmons, who spent nearly half a century innocently imprisoned for the murder of a liquor dealer.
Glynn Simmons, 71, has filed a lawsuit against the city of Edmond and a former police detective. Simmons was convicted in 1974 at age 22 for the murder of store clerk Carolyn Sue Rogers during a robbery. A witness had named him in a lineup. A year later, he was told he would receive the death penalty. A few years later, his death sentence was commuted to life in prison by a Supreme Court decision.
But Simmons continued to maintain his innocence. In April of last year, the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office requested that Simmons’ conviction be thrown out after a reinvestigation of the case. The investigation revealed that several police reports during the 1974 trial were not available to defense attorneys and that there was insufficient evidence. For example, one of the police reports allegedly stated that the witness may have identified other suspects. With that new information in mind, according to the attorney general, Simmons may not have received a fair trial.
Late last year, Simmons was declared innocent after 48 years in prison, making him the longest innocent prisoner in American history. That’s why the man filed suit, seeking $7.15 million in damages. On Monday, the city council approved the damages. “Mr. Simmons has spent a tragic amount of time in prison for a crime he did not commit,” his attorney, Elizabeth Wang, said in a statement. “While he will never get that time back, this settlement with Edmond will allow him to move on with his life.”
There will still be a trial on Simmons’ allegations. “We very much look forward to holding them accountable in the trial in March,” Wang said.