American Military News by Joshua Sharpe - The Atlanta Journal Constitution March 17, 2020
Georgia House votes to pay 3 US Army soldiers for overturned murder convictions after 25 years in prison
Georgia House members voted Thursday night to compensate three former U.S. Army soldiers for the 25 years they lost in prison before their murder convictions were overturned.
The legislation, which passed with wide bipartisan support, now moves to the state Senate for consideration. The trio of bills would pay Mark Jones, Kenny Gardiner and Dominic Lucci $1 million each. The money would be paid out over 20 years, as is typical in such cases. An economist hired by Karsman McKenzie Hart, the Savannah law firm representing the veterans, found that they would have made $3 million if they had stayed in the military, as they’d planned to do before they were charged with murder in 1992.
The soldiers, who were the subjects of a recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution article and have always maintained their innocence, are tremendously relieved to be free, but the damage to their lives is done.
“I’ve always been that guy who wanted the American Dream — the family, the home, the two and a half kids. That’s what I’ve always wanted to be, what I’ve always dreamed of,†said Jones, who was 20 when he was arrested and is now nearing 50. “And the odds of that happening now are pretty slim.â€
More:
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2020/03/georgia-house-votes-to-pay-3-us-army-soldiers-for-overturned-murder-convictions-after-25-years-in-prison/
