The City of Philadelphia has shared that it will pay $9.8 million to a Black man who spent 28 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit.
In 1991, Chester Hollman III was 21-year-old student when he was charged with the murder of a University of Pennsylvania. Hollman, who had no criminal record and worked as an armored car driver and maintained his innocence from the moment he was arrested.
“Having my freedom rightfully restored after 28 years is bittersweet, as many innocent people like myself spend decades in prison hoping and fighting simply to reveal the truth, and the few who do gain their freedom are left to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives,” Hollman said in statement, according to reports. He added, “There are no words to express what was taken from me, and no way to measure what I’ve lost, but this settlement closes out a difficult chapter in my life as my family and I now embark on a new one.”
His attorney Amelia Green said the evidence supporting Hollman’s innocence — which garnered media attention first in the form of a 2017 report in The Inquirer and, in April, an episode of the Netflix seriesThe Innocence Files.
“There was irrefutable evidence that Chester was innocent, is innocent and has always been innocent and would never have been wrongfully convicted aside from extraordinary police misconduct,” Green said. “He’s doing the best he can to move forward,” his lawyer added. “He’s an incredibly strong person.
Take a look at Chester Hollman III story below.
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