A 71-year-old man wrongfully imprisoned for nearly five decades for a murder he did not commit will receive a $7.15 million settlement from the city of Edmond, Oklahoma.
Glynn Simmons, who holds the record for the longest time served before exoneration in U.S. history, was released last year after spending 48 years, one month, and 18 days in prison. His conviction was overturned in July 2023, and he was officially declared innocent in December.
The settlement was approved by Edmond city councilors on Monday to resolve claims against the city and a detective involved in the case. Simmons’ legal team described the payment as a “partial settlement” of his lawsuit, which alleges that police falsified evidence to frame him for the 1974 murder of a liquor store clerk.
Simmons and another man, Don Roberts, were sentenced to death in 1975 based on the testimony of a teenage customer who survived a gunshot during the robbery but later expressed doubts about her identification of the suspects. Both sentences were later commuted to life in prison.
Roberts was released in 2008, but Simmons continued to fight for his freedom until his exoneration. While the settlement brings some closure, Simmons’ attorneys indicate they will continue pursuing claims against other parties involved in his wrongful conviction.
