Lawrence McKinney was 22 years old when he was wrong charged and convicted for murder and rape.
DNA cleared him, but 31 years later, so the majority of his adult life was spent in prison. How did the state of tennessee repay him?
A Tennessee man who served 31 years in jail for a crime he didn’t commit is petitioning the state to compensate him $1 million for the years of his life that were taken away. All he’s gotten so far is $75.
In October 1977 a Memphis woman was raped in her home by two intruders. She later identified one of them as her neighbor, Lawrence McKinney, who was 22 at the time. He was convicted on rape and burglary charges in 1978 and sentenced to 115 years in jail.
DNA evidence cleared him of the charges in 2008, and when he was released in 2009, the Tennessee Department of Corrections gave him a $75 check to restart his life.
Now the 61-year-old is asking Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam to exonerate him. The Tennessee Board of Parole, which makes recommendations to the governor, denied McKinney’s request by a 7-0 vote at a hearing in September.
That last line is infuriating.
DNA cleared the man, but the board voted 7-0 to make sure people still think he is guilty, which is really sickening, but not surprising.
Hopefully the governor does the right thing.
