North Carolina Man Awarded Millions After Being Wrongfully Imprisoned for Nearly Half a Century

A North Carolina man has been awarded $25 million after he was wrongfully imprisoned for a crime he did not commit for almost half a century.

In 1976, Ronnie Long, now 68, was convicted of raping the widow of a Cannon Mills executive by an all-white jury. Evidence that may have been able to prove his innocence either disappeared or was intentionally withheld from Long’s defense team, according to Pfeiffer Rudolf Attorneys at Law. Additionally, the pool of potential jurors was tampered with.

After spending 44 years in prison, Long’s conviction was overturned in August 2020, and in December of that same year, he was granted a Pardon of Innocence from Gov. Roy Cooper, as reported by WSOC-TV.

The city of Concord agreed to pay Long $22 million on Monday and issued a public apology, acknowledging that the city and the Concord Police Department’s wrongdoing caused Long and his family immense pain.

The Concord City Council said in a statement to Long and his attorneys, “We are deeply remorseful for the past wrongs that caused tremendous harm to Mr. Long, his family, friends, and our community. Mr. Long suffered the extraordinary loss of his freedom and a substantial portion of his life because of this conviction. He wrongly served 44 years, 3 months, and 17 days in prison for a crime he did not commit.”

They added, “While there are no measures to fully restore to Mr. Long all that was taken from him, through this agreement, we are doing everything in our power to right the past wrongs and take responsibility. We are hopeful this can begin the healing process for Mr. Long and our community, and that together we can move forward while learning valuable lessons and ensuring nothing like this ever happens again.”

The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has also agreed to pay Long $3 million for their role in hiding the evidence that may have proved Long’s evidence from his legal team.

Long was originally supposed to receive $750,000 from the state for his wrongful conviction however, he and his legal team filed a civil suit against the city of Concord, SBI, and detectives on the case, as reported by WCNC.

According to Pfeiffer Rudolf Attorneys at Law, Long’s compensation package, which amounted to $25 million in total, is the largest in North Carolina history and one of the largest nationwide.

Chris Olson, one of Long’s attorneys, said in a statement, “This result speaks to the magnitude of injustice that occurred in Mr. Long’s case. Ronnie Long not only has his and his family’s name restored, but he has also exposed the unconscionable conduct that led to his wrongful conviction and received a full acknowledgment and apology from the city for the misconduct of its own. That apology goes a long way in helping Mr. Long heal.”