Man Wrongfully Jailed for 16 Years Dies of COVID-19 after Release from Prison

• Damon Thibodeaux died of COVID-19 nine years after he was acquitted of murder charges
• Damon spent 16 years in prison before a team of lawyers proved his innocence
• His brother said Damon was not bitter and prayed to forgive those who jailed him

A man who was acquitted of murder charges and released from prison has succumbed to COVID-19.

Damon Thibodeaux was wrongfully imprisoned for 16 years in 1997 before a team of lawyers proved his innocence.

Nine years after his release from prison, he passed away after contracting the virus.

Speaking to the press, the retired lawyer who helped Damon regain his freedom expressed disbelief at his passing.

“It’s so unfair. I’m struggling to make peace with it, but you can’t,” Steve Kaplan told The Oregonian.

Read also

TT runs into debt again after massive donations as ECG chases him over GHC8,000; goes angry in video

Damon passed away on September 2, aged 47, having spent a third of those years behind bars for a crime he did not commit.

Restarting life

After his release from prison, Damon started over and took up a job as a long-distance truck driver.

According to his brother David, he held no grudges and had rebuilt his life.

"He had no grudges, and should have been angry at the world, but he wasn't angry at anyone. He prayed to forgive those that incarcerated him," the brother said.

Falling ill

David said Damon fell sick while on the road and was admitted to the hospital with symptoms of the virus.

His health eventually started improving little by little, only for tragedy to strike.

David received a call from the hospital seeking permission to stop resuscitation Damon as his lungs had collapsed and his heart failed.

"As hurt and painful as it is, it's really inspiring to see people touched by his story. He's at peace," David said.

Read also

I couldn't pay my medical bill; I ran from the hospital with my one leg - GH man says in emotional video

Conviction and release

Damon was arrested aged 22 after his 14-year-old step-cousin went missing when he was visiting her family.

When her body was found, he was interrogated for a long time, pushing him to confess to a crime he did not commit.

He was sentenced to death a year later, and after being on death row for 15 years, a team of lawyers proved his innocence.

Inconsistent witness state tests and lack of DNA evidence saw his conviction thrown out, and he was freed in 2012.

GHc55 million payout

In January 2021, YEN.com.gh reported that a man who was wrongfully imprisoned for 28 years finally found justice.

Chester Hollman III was wrongly imprisoned for murder when he was 21 years old.

A court found him innocent and awarded him GHc55 million as settlement.

Source: YEN.com.gh