Judge declares 3 pursuing compensation as wrongly imprisoned

CLEVELAND – A judge in Cleveland has declared that three men were wrongfully imprisoned for nearly two decades in a 1995 murder.

Cleveland.com reports the judge’s declaration for Laurese Glover, Eugene Johnson and Derrick Wheatt is part of a settlement agreement in a federal lawsuit. It’s also a step in their effort to seek compensation for their time behind bars through the Court of Claims.

The men eventually would get about $1.5 million each under the proposed deal.

They have long denied killing 19-year-old Clifton Hudson. The case against them unraveled when attorneys learned a prosecutor hid reports raising doubt about their guilt.

A judge freed them and ordered a new trial in 2015. The charges were dropped when prosecutors decided not to pursue another trial.

___

Information from: cleveland.com, http://www.cleveland.com