NEWS: Convicted Man Exonerated After Seven Years, Charges Dropped

Clarence Elkins, 42, who was convicted seven years ago of killing his mother-in-law and raping his niece has been released from prison after DNA evidence implicated another man, Earl Gene Mann, 32, who is in prison for raping three girls. Elkins was in the same prison as Mann and saved one of the butts from a cigarette smoked by Mann and arranged to have it analyzed for DNA. The DNA on the cigarette butt matched evidence at the murder/rape crime scene. Elkins will receive $700,000. in compensation.



I heard Elkins on television tonight and he had a very hard time expressing himself, which is quite understandable considering the the circumstances of the last seven years and of recent events. I'm pretty sure I would have the same problems. Despite this, he was decidedly upbeat and seemed free of any bitterness, expressing his gratitude to the prosecutors who initiated a new investigation into the crimes for which Elkins was convicted. Add to this a windfall of nearly three-quarters of a million dollars and I would guess that he has big plans for the future.

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[edit on 2005/12/16 by GradyPhilpott]

It's nice to see technology working to better our justice system. It's also good to know he is not bitter or resentful after all that time spent behind bars. Do you think 700,000 dollars is adequate compensation for his botched trial and subsequent jail sentence?

I don't know anything about this guy's history or how they arrived at that figure. Compensation is often figured based on an individual's earning potential. I don't know if that is the case here. I can't speak for Elkins, but based upon what I have seen some people do to get their hands on money, especially on the so called "reality shows," I would guess that there are quite a few folks out there who would trade seven years in prison for that much money.

The impression I got from this story is that Elkins is a man of great faith, who endeavored from day one to establish his innocence and clear his name. He will probably fair well. I'm sure that not all people who are falsely imprisoned would find any amount of monetary compensation sufficient, considering what they endured, both physically and emotionally.

Good for him. I'm glad that the justice system came through for him, and the fact that he is being recompensated usually takes away all the hard feelings that people like that have against our judicial systems.