US: Man awarded $21 million following wrongful conviction and 38-year jail term for double murder

Craig Coley, 71, a Vietnam war veteran was jailed in 1978 for the killing of his ex-partner and her son, a crime he did not commit.

He was released in November 2017 after DNA evidence cleared him of any wrongdoing.

The compensation is being paid by the city of Simi Valley.

“While no amount of money can make up for what happened to Mr Coley, settling this case is the right thing to do for Mr Coley and our community,” said Simi Valley City manager, Eric Levitt.

“The monetary cost of going to trial would be astronomical and it would be irresponsible for us to move forward in that direction.”

Mr Coley was jailed for the murder of Rhonda Wicht, 24, and her four-year-old child Donald.

Ms Wicht was found raped and strangled to death while her son had been suffocated at an apartment in Simi City.

Police suspected Mr Coley after a neighbour said she saw his truck at the apartment.

Following two trials he was sentenced to life in prison, without parole, but a stream of issues with the prosecution’s case later emerged.

“It’s not something you can describe other than it’s painful,” Mr Coley later told the LA Times. “I went four decades not being able to grieve the woman and child I loved.”

He was helped by former police detective Mike Bender, who raised doubts about the case in 1989.

Police have not yet identified who murdered Ms Wicht and her son.