Family Awarded $4 M Settlement in Mich. Wrongful Conviction

The city of Detroit and the state will pay almost $4 million to the family of a man who was wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for 17 years.

Due to DNA evidence, Eddie Joe Lloyd was acquitted in 2002 of the rape and murder of 16-year-old Michelle Jackson. He died two years after his release at the age of 56.

In 1984, Lloyd was a patient at the Detroit Psychiatric Institute. He wrote a letter to the police revealing that he had information about Jackson’s murder. According to Lloyd, the detective that interviewed him provided details of the crime and encouraged him to confess in order to help find the real murderer.

As a result of the wrongful conviction, the Detroit Police Department, who has faced years of complaints of wrongful imprisonments and the excessive use of force and abuse to get confessions, will videotape interrogations of suspects in all crimes that are punishable by life in prison.

If you or a loved one has been wrongfully convicted of a crime, contact a lawyer for a free initial consultation.