Man Freed After Decades in Jail for a Crime He Didn’t Commit Gets $13 Million – You Won’t Believe His Reaction

Although state laws limit awards for false convictions at $1 million, a Massachusetts jury has awarded Michael Sullivan $13 million after he spent nearly 30 years in jail for a murder he did not commit. The 64-year-old Sullivan was found guilty in 1987 of Wilfred McGrath’s murder and robbery, a crime he has always denied committing. Although this testimony did not determine his guilt, the jury also concluded that a state police scientist had given misleading testimony during the trial.

Sullivan suffered a great deal as a result of his false conviction. His mother and four brothers passed away while he was incarcerated for decades, and his girlfriend moved on. In prison, he was subjected to multiple assaults, including one that almost cost him an ear and his nose.Sullivan characterized his incarceration as “a tough life,” particularly for someone who was aware of his innocence. “It’s very hard on a person,” he remarked, remembering the ordeal of his imprisonment.

In 1987, 64-year-old Michael Sullivan of Lowell, Massachusetts, was found guilty of armed robbery and murder. The state lowered his $13 million wrongful conviction compensation to $1 million. According to Donna Faria, Sullivan’s sister, the family “never for a minute” thought he was guilty. They provided him with many calls and visits during his trial and incarceration. Despite their encouragement, Faria bemoaned the life that Sullivan had lost, pointing out that he “never had kids, never married like the rest of us did.”

When Sullivan’s lawyer asked for DNA testing on evidence that had been crucial to his conviction in 2011, his destiny started to shift. Prosecutors claimed that Sullivan was linked to the crime, but examinations revealed neither McGrath’s blood nor DNA on the jacket. As Boston lawyer Dana Curhan noted, this evidence weakened the case: “The prosecutor basically said, ‘Hey, if he wasn’t the one who did it, why did they find blood on both cuffs of the jacket?'” We currently lack a DNA match and blood.

Sullivan was given a new trial in 2012 and freed in 2013 as a result of these conclusions. Citing witness deaths and deteriorated memory, the state refused to retry the case in 2019. Despite being exonerated, Sullivan finds it difficult to adapt to a world that underwent significant change while he was incarcerated. He spends his days at his sister’s house taking care of her pets and doing laundry because he is unable to get permanent employment or use a computer.

Even with the monetary prize, Sullivan is still wary of his future. He says, “They’ll have money,” and intends to save the money for his nieces and nephews. That will bring me great joy. As part of the verdict, Sullivan’s attorney has asked for educational and therapeutic programs to help him start over, but Sullivan acknowledges, “I’m still really not adjusted to the outside world.”