Lamonte McIntyre is a free man after spending a large portion of his life in prison.
He was accused of a double murder 23 years ago and now he’s trying to move forward with his life.
(CNN)Lamonte McIntyre spent 23 years behind bars for a double murder he didn’t commit. On Monday, he was awarded $1.5 million to settle a lawsuit for his wrongful conviction, the Kansas State Attorney General’s office announced.
McIntyre was 17 years old when he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the 1994 murders of Donald Ewing and Doniel Quinn. He served 8,583 days behind bars before being released and exonerated in October 2017.
Last year, McIntyre filed a lawsuit against the state under the its mistaken-conviction statute, which was passed in 2018. The law allows those who were wrongfully convicted and imprisoned to seek monetary damages from the state. McIntyre testified in support of the measure before a state Senate committee in 2018.
“The state of Kansas can’t give me back the 23 years it took from me,” he said in his testimony. “But it can pass this compensation law so I can start my path to a successful future.”
In addition to $1.5 million, McIntyre was awarded access to the state health care benefits program for two years, counseling and a tuition wavier for post-secondary education. Records of his conviction, arrest and any DNA profile record information were ordered to be expunged.
Since being released, McIntyre co-founded a nonprofit, Miracle of Innocence, to help others who are wrongfully convicted. He also is the co-owner and student instructor at Headlines Barber Academy in Kansas City.
“I’m not angry,” McIntyre told CNN affiliate KMBC in an interview last year. “I’m frustrated because I don’t like to see this kind of injustice happen to nobody.”
There are so many inmates that are wrongfully convicted and spend all their lives in prison.
Then there are some that are blessed with a miracle and they are later found innocent.
The system was all wrong 20 and 30 years ago but now with better scientific knowledge and advancement in DNA, things are looking better for cases that are wrongfully accused.
