Maryland apologizes to man wrongly convicted of murder, agrees to $340K payment for years in prison

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The State of Maryland will pay more than $340,000 to compensate a man who spent five years in prison after being wrongly convicted of murder and assault.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore apologized to Demetrius Smith Wednesday at a meeting of the state board that approved the settlement. Smith was released in 2013 after spending five years behind bars for a murder and an assault he did not commit. The Maryland U.S. attorney’s office charged the person who was actually responsible for the murder, and Smith’s innocence was proven. But he still spent another year and a half in prison.

Moore apologized directly to Smith, who attended the hearing.

PHOTO INFO: Eric Simmons, left, and Demetrius Smith, who were found innocent after spending years in prison for crimes they did not commit in Maryland, testify before state lawmakers for legislation to address how the wrongly incarcerated should be compensated by the state during a hearing Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020 in Annapolis, Md. On Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, a Maryland board approved more than $340,000 for a settlement to compensate Smith, who was wrongly convicted of murder and assault in two separate cases and spent more than five years in prison. (AP Photo/Brian Witte, File)

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