Demetrius Smith will be compensated by the state of Maryland after spending years behind bars, including over a year after he had been proven innocent. He was released from prison in 2013.
Eric Simmons and Demetrius Smith, who were found innocent after spending years in prison for crimes they did not commit in Maryland, testify before state lawmakers for legislation to address how the wrongly incarcerated should be compensated by the state during a hearing on Feb. 26, 2020, in Annapolis, Md.
Gov. Wes Moore, who chairs the three-member Board of Public Works, apologized to Smith before the board approved the settlement, noting that it's been more than a decade since his release in 2013. Gov. Moore noted that at Smith's bail hearing, the judge said the case before him was"probably the thinnest case" he had ever seen. But, Moore said,"the prosecution was determined to press forward, relying on testimony from a witness who was later found to have not even been at the scene of the crime."
In 2010, Smith was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, plus 18 years. In 2011, he entered an Alford plea for the assault charge, maintaining his innocence. Moore said Smith entered the plea after losing faith in the criminal justice system. Under an Alford plea, the defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges the likelihood of a conviction if the case went to trial.
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