A federal jury in Las Vegas has awarded more than $34 million to a woman who served more than 15 years in prison for a 2001 killing she did not commit.

Kristin Lobato, who is now 41 and uses the name Blaise, cried and hugged her attorneys after a judge read the trial verdict Thursday in U.S. District Court, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

The civil trial jury found Las Vegas police and two detectives, now retired, fabricated evidence during their investigation and intentionally inflicted emotional distress upon Lobato. The panel determined that Lobato should receive $34 million in compensatory damages from the department and $10,000 in punitive damages from each former detective.

She was exonerated and freed from prison in late 2017 after the Innocence Project and attorneys in Las Vegas again took her case to the state Supreme Court. Justices said evidence showed that Lobato was in her hometown of Panaca, Nevada, some 150 miles (214 kilometers) from Las Vegas when Bailey was killed.

  • Arghblarg@lemmy.ca
    13·
    14 hours ago

    Now retired huh?

    I can think of a good penalty… a number of years in prison equal to the years since they committed this crime. “Disgorgement” is a common legal mechanism, forcing convicted to give up their ill-gotten gains. In this case, time as free persons.