A 71-year-old man, Glynn Simmons, who unjustly spent 48 long years behind bars, is set to receive $7.15 million settlement from the city of Edmond, Oklahoma, following the astonishing revelation of his wrongful conviction.
Holding the dubious distinction of the longest time served in prison before exoneration in U.S. history, Simmons’s story is one of tragedy and resilience. Released just last year after enduring a nightmarish 48 years, one month, and 18 days of wrongful imprisonment, he is now beginning to reclaim his life.
In a significant move on Monday, the Edmond city council voted to approve the settlement, addressing claims against both the city and a detective implicated in his conviction, as uncovered by public records. Simmons’s legal team described this settlement as merely a “partial resolution” in their ongoing battle, which asserts that city officials and police fabricated evidence to wrongfully frame him for murder.
Lead attorney Elizabeth Wang expressed the gravity of Simmons’s ordeal, stating, “Mr. Simmons spent a tragic amount of time incarcerated for a crime he did not commit. While he can never reclaim that lost time, this settlement with Edmond paves the way for him to move forward as he continues to fight for justice against Oklahoma City and a prominent detective.”
The harrowing tale dates back to 1975 when Simmons and another man, Don Roberts, were sentenced to death for the murder of a liquor store clerk during a robbery the previous year. Initially sentenced to die, their fates were eventually altered to life in prison—a fate rooted deeply in flawed testimony. The sole basis for their conviction hinged on the identification by a teenage customer who narrowly survived being shot in the head during the chaotic robbery.
Despite her initial identification in a police lineup, a subsequent investigation shrouded her testimony in doubt. Both Simmons and Roberts maintained their innocence, asserting they were not even in Oklahoma at the time of the crime.
In a moment of justice served, U.S. District Court Judge Amy Palumbo overturned Simmons’s conviction in July of last year. By December, he was officially declared innocent. Don Roberts, who also faced the agonizing burden of wrongful conviction, managed to regain his freedom in 2008, as documented by The National Registry of Exonerations, a collaborative project among three U.S. universities.
