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Wrongly Convicted Database Record
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Charge: |
Murder |
Sentence: |
Life Imprisonment without possibility of parole |
Years Imprisoned: |
17 |
Year Crime: |
1984 |
Year Convicted: |
1985 |
Year Cleared: |
2002 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
Michigan |
County or Region of Crime: |
Wayne |
City of Crime: |
Detroit |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated Released |
Summary of Case: |
"Eddie Joe Lloyd was wrongly convicted of the 1984 murder of a 16 year old girl, partially based on his false confession. While in a mental hospital, Eddie Lloyd wrote to police with suggestions on how they might be able to solve the murder. The police visited him, and convinced him that if he "confessed" to the murder it would smoke out the real murderer. Wanting to help solve the murder, Lloyd confessed as suggested by the police by signing a confession that was also tape recorded. He was then charged with the murder based on that confession and at his trial the jury deliberated less than an hour before convicting him based on the bogus confession. Lloyd was sentenced to life w/o parole, although his trial judge complained that Michigan's absence of a death penalty him from sentencing him to death. After exhausting all his appeals, Lloyd contacted the Innocence Project at Cardozo School of Law in 1995. Physical samples from the crime were located and tested. Lloyd was excluded by DNA tests, and on August 26, 2002 he was released after 17 years of wrongful imprisonment. He died in 2004 at the age of 56. His family sued Michigan and Indiana. In March 2006, the State of Michigan settled its portion of the suit for $600,000. Wayne County, Michigan agreed to settle the suit for $225,000. In May 2006, City of Detroit agreed to settle its portion of the suit for $3,250,000. Of the total settlement of $4,075,000, Lloyd's heirs were awarded $2,600,000, and his lawyers sharing $1,325,000, and $100,000 for their expenses." |
Conviction Caused By: |
"Police and prosecutorial misconduct by tricking Lloyd into making a false confession by leading him to believe that he would be helping to "flush out" the real killer." |
Innocence Proved By: |
DNA tests excluded Eddie Joe Lloyd as the murderer. |
Defendant Aided By: |
Innocence Project at Cardozo School of Law |
Compensation Awarded: |
"$4,075,000 total. $3.25 million (City of Detroit, May 2006), $225,000 (Wayne County, March 2006) and $600,000 (State of Michigan, March 2006)" |
Was Perpetrator Identified? |
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Age When Imprisoned: |
37 |
Age When Released: |
54 |
Sex: |
Male |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
Black |
Information Source 1: |
"Michigan, wayne county pay for wrongful conviction, South Bend Tribune, March 30, 2006" |
Information Location 1: |
http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060330/News01/603300439/-1/NEWS01/CAT=News01 |
Information Source 2: |
"Wayne Co_ OKs $225,000 settlement, Zachary Gorchow and Joe Swickard, Detroit Free Press, March 29, 2006" |
Information Location 2: |
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060329/NEWS05/603290369 |
Information Source 3: |
"Detroit case settled for $4 million-Innocent man, who died in 2004, spent 17 years in prison; family will see $2.6 million, Paul Egan (staff), The Detroit News, May 8, 2006" |
Information Location 3: |
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060508/METRO/605080343&SearchID=73243959883573 |
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Comments About Case: |
Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org