Fla. man wrongly accused of murder awarded cash
MIAMI -- A Miami man wrongly accused of double-murder has been awarded $860,000 plus attorney's fees six years after the killings, reports CBS Miami.
Taiwan Smart was reportedly arrested for the execution style slayings of his two friends, 18-year-old Jonathan Volcy and 14-year-old Raynathan Ray, in 2009. During Smart's time in jail, another man arrested for an unrelated armed robbery was placed in Smart's cell and allegedly confessed to the murder.
"The actual shooter was put into that cell, confessed to one of the other members in that cell, which then resulted in a polygraph test being run by the state, which resulted in him being discharged from custody a week later," said Joe Klock, Smart's attorney, told the station.
Smart spent 19 months in jail before being freed. A jury awarded him the cash after he brought a federal civil rights case against the City of Miami.
"This is not just a case for me. It's my life. This is like the beginning of the end and the beginning of something new," Smart told the station.
Smart now reportedly works in his lawyer's office as a legal assistant.