Black actor framed by police for killing his friend awarded $13 million settlement
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A man who spent more than six years in prison for a crime he was framed for by San Francisco police was awarded a $13.1 million settlement after a vote by the city’s Board of Supervisors.
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Jamal Trulove was reportedly set up and served prison time for a 2007 murder he did not commit. His 2015 retrial proved his innocence, and he was acquitted for the crime, according to NPR.
Trulove took to Twitter to celebrate and vowed to keep the fight going.
“And trust me I’m not done with them by a long shot!!” said a profile that appeared to belong to Trulove on Twitter. “After what these cowards of the law did to me, I will let my freedom ring through every platform I get to show what injustice really looks like. Me!”
Trulove shared the difficulties that he had experienced since his arrest saying he suffered PTSD. He also noted that the monetary award won’t make right the time he missed being with his family.
“Theres nothing I could do to make up for that time I missed,” he wrote. “No amount of money could ever reverse the time I missed with my kids and the affect that it’s had on there up bringing and our relationship.”
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Trulove sued the police force after he was arrested for the 2007 murder of his friend Seu Kuka. But a jury determined that officers Maureen D’Amico and Michael Johnson covered up, lied about evidence and “failed to disclose exculpatory material,” according to the outlet. Reisman said the police also coerced a witness to identify Trulove as the shooter.
Trulove was originally sentenced to 50 years to life in prison before his release.
Prior to his arrest and imprisonment, Trulove had a budding TV career, and was cast on the reality TV show I Love New York 2.
He also will appear in The Last Black Man in San Francisco movie this June.
The officers in the case reportedly retired and were never disciplined.
