Oklahoma
City to pay more than $7M to an exonerated former death row inmate
EDMOND, Okla. (AP) — An Oklahoma city has agreed to pay more than $7 million to a former death row inmate who was exonerated after nearly 50 years in prison, making him the longest-serving inmate to be declared innocent of a crime.
The Edmond City Council voted without comment on Monday to settle the lawsuit filed by Glynn Ray Simmons, 71, against the Oklahoma City suburb and a former police detective for $7.15 million.
“Mr. Simmons spent a tragic amount of time incarcerated for a crime he did not commit,” his attorney, Elizabeth Wang said in a statement. “Although he will never get that time back, this settlement with Edmond will allow him to move forward” with his life.
The lawsuit makes similar claims against Oklahoma City and a retired Oklahoma City detective, who also investigated the robbery and shooting, which are not affected by the settlement and remain pending.
A spokesperson for Oklahoma City said Wednesday that the city does not comment on pending litigation.
The lawsuit alleges police falsified a report by stating that a witness who was wounded in the shooting identified Simmons and co-defendant Don Roberts as the two who robbed the store and shot the clerk.
The lawsuit also alleges police withheld evidence that the witness identified two other people as suspects.
Simmons was released from prison in July 2023 after a judge vacated his conviction and sentence and ordered a new trial.
District Attorney Vickie Behenna announced in September that she would not retry the case because there is no longer physical evidence against Simmons.
In December, a judge exonerated Simmons, saying there was “clear and convincing evidence” that he did not commit the crime and Simmons has received $175,000 from the state of Oklahoma for wrongful conviction.
Simmons served 48 years, one month and 18 days, making him the longest imprisoned U.S. inmate to be exonerated, according to data kept by The National Registry of Exonerations.
Simmons, who has maintained that he was in Louisiana at the time of the crime, and Roberts were both convicted of the murder of the liquor store clerk, Carolyn Sue Rogers, and sentenced to death.
Their sentences were reduced to life in prison in 1977 after U.S. Supreme Court rulings related to capital punishment and Roberts was released on parole in 2008.
Ohio
Family reaches $7M settlement in police shooting of 23-year-old man
The family of an Ohio man who was shot and killed by a former sheriff’s deputy will receive $7 million to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit over the December 2020 shooting.
The Franklin County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the settlement late last month.
Casey Goodson Jr., 23, was shot multiple times in December 2020 as he tried to enter his grandmother’s Columbus home. His death — one of several involving Black people killed by white Ohio law enforcement officers over the past decade — sparked national outrage and cries for police reform.
Goodson’s family issued a statement calling the settlement historic.
“The settlement allows Casey’s family to resolve their civil claims against Franklin County, enabling them to concentrate fully on the upcoming murder retrial of Michael Jason Meade,” family attorney Sean Walton said. “While no amount of money can ever compensate for the loss of Casey, this settlement is a crucial acknowledgment of the profound impact his death has had on his family and the broader community.”
Meade was charged with murder and reckless homicide, but a mistrial was announced in February when a jury couldn’t agree on a verdict, ending tumultuous proceedings that saw four jurors dismissed. Prosecutors soon announced he would face a retrial, which is scheduled to start Oct. 31, but they have since dropped one of the two murder counts he faced.
Meade has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers have said the prosecution’s decision to seek another trial was due to political pressure from local elected officials.
Meade testified that Goodson waved a gun at him as the two drove past each other, so he pursued Goodson because he said he feared for his life and the lives of others. He said he eventually shot Goodson because the young man turned toward him with a gun.
Goodson’s family and prosecutors have said he was holding a sandwich bag in one hand and his keys in the other when he was fatally shot. They do not dispute that Goodson may have been carrying a gun and note that he had a license to carry a firearm.
Goodson’s handgun, which had an extended magazine, was found on his grandmother’s kitchen floor with the safety mechanism engaged.
Meade was not wearing a body camera so there is no footage of the shooting, and prosecutors repeatedly asserted during the first trial that Meade is the only person who testified Goodson was holding a gun.
Alabama
Lawyer accused of sexually assaulting handcuffed inmate
An Alabama lawyer and former state senator has been accused of groping and sexually assaulting an incarcerated woman and trying to coerce her into being his “sex slave,” according to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday.
The lawsuit accuses Douglass “Doug” Ghee of sexual assault, battery, extortion, intentional inflicting of emotional distress, false imprisonment and wantonness. Ghee’s law firm, Ghee, Draper and Alexander, is also named in the complaint.
The lawsuit said that Ghee, 78, met with a 29-year-old woman in July as a public defender while she was incarcerated at the Calhoun County Jail, in the eastern part of the state. During the meeting, Ghee allegedly promised to use his friendship with the judge and assistant district attorney on her case to help her get a better deal, as long as she agreed to be his “sex slave” and pay him $2,500.
The meeting took place in a room designated for attorneys to meet with clients, the suit said. The woman was handcuffed and shackled the whole time, and there was a live video feed for a corrections officer to monitor the situation.
After the initial meeting, Ghee sent $30 to the woman’s jail account, the lawsuit said.
Five days later, Ghee and the woman had a second meeting in the same room, according to the lawsuit, and he is accused of groping and forcibly kissing her. A corrections officer intervened and removed the woman from the room, the lawsuit said.
People detained in Alabama jails cannot legally consent to sexual contact while incarcerated.
In July, after the alleged sexual assault, a Seventh Circuit presiding judge barred Ghee from representing any indigent clients in two districts in the eastern part of the state, AL.com reported.
Four judges have also recused themselves from Ghee’s cases, including the judge presiding over the incarcerated woman’s bond hearing.
The woman’s lawyers say she cannot initiate a criminal case against Ghee until she has a new judge assigned and can make bond.
“Further detainment just delays justice and extends the mental abuses in this case,” said the woman’s lawyer, Anthony Coleman. “As a result of her detainment, she is unable to file a criminal complaint in this matter. We filed this suit to preserve her rights and prompt the state to move forward without further delay.”
Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew Wade confirmed with WBRC-TV that there is an ongoing investigation into the accusations.
Ghee is a well-known lawyer in the area and served as a state senator between 1990 and 1998. A representative at his law offices said he declined to offer comment when The Associated Press called Wednesday.
The AP does not generally identify people alleging sexual assault unless they consent to be named.
Pennsylvania
Lawsuits: Officials failed 12-year-old girl who died after abuse at home
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The state, two counties and different schools missed warning signs and failed to protect a 12-year-old Pennsylvania girl who was suffering abuse at her home before she died in May, according to lawsuits filed Wednesday by the girl’s family.
Malinda Hoagland’s half sisters filed suits in Pennsylvania state court as well as in federal court alleging that the defendants negligently missed red flags, including that the girlfriend of Malinda’s father who was helping care for the girl had a previous child abuse conviction.
Malinda’s father, Rendell Hoagland, and the woman, Cindy Warren, are facing murder and other charges stemming from the May death of Malinda in Chester County in suburban Philadelphia. Attorneys are not listed for the pair.
“The civil claims seek to ensure that full and complete accountability will be achieved for the heinous actions of the educators, case workers, and institutions who all failed Malinda miserably,” the half sisters’ attorney, Tom Bosworth, said in a statement.
The suit mentions tragic treatment, including that she was chained to an air hockey table, denied food, forced to hold books over her head and do pushups. She was regularly berated and covered it bruises, the suit said.
The Chester County district attorney’s office arrested Rendell Hoagland and Warren after they reported Malinda was unresponsive in May. She was taken to the hospital, where staff found she had broken bones and bruising all over her body, according to prosecutors.
The state and Chester and Monroe counties are named in the federal suit as well as Upper Dublin and Coatesville Area school districts. The state suit names Commonwealth Charter Academy.
Wisconsin
Man convicted in killings of 3 men near a quarry
LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) — A man has been convicted in the fatal 2021 shootings of three men whose bodies were found outside a Wisconsin quarry.
A La Crosse County jury found Nya Thao, 37, of Onalaska guilty Tuesday of three counts of intentional first-degree homicide and one count of felon in possession of a firearm, the La Crosse Tribune reported.
It was Thao’s second trial in the killings; his first ended in a hung jury last year. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 14.
Thao and Khamthaneth Rattanasack were both charged in the July 2021 slayings of Peng Lor and Nemo Yang, both 24, and Trevor Maloney, 23. Their bodies were found outside the entrance of a quarry about 14 miles (23 kilometers) northeast of La Crosse, which is along the Minnesota border.
Prosecutors said Rattanasack believed at least one of the three had stolen $600 from him. A woman who had been with the victims told police that Rattanasack told them to get on their knees and gave Thao the gun Thao used to shoot them multiple times.
Rattanasack pleaded guilty in October to one count of first-degree intentional homicide as a party to a crime. He was sentenced to life in prison in January.
La Crosse County Sheriff John Siegel said Tuesday’s verdict “closes the door on a horrific crime not only perpetrated on 3 individuals, but our entire community.”
The Associated Press sent an email to Thao’s attorney on Thursday morning seeking comment on his client’s conviction.
City to pay more than $7M to an exonerated former death row inmate
EDMOND, Okla. (AP) — An Oklahoma city has agreed to pay more than $7 million to a former death row inmate who was exonerated after nearly 50 years in prison, making him the longest-serving inmate to be declared innocent of a crime.
The Edmond City Council voted without comment on Monday to settle the lawsuit filed by Glynn Ray Simmons, 71, against the Oklahoma City suburb and a former police detective for $7.15 million.
“Mr. Simmons spent a tragic amount of time incarcerated for a crime he did not commit,” his attorney, Elizabeth Wang said in a statement. “Although he will never get that time back, this settlement with Edmond will allow him to move forward” with his life.
The lawsuit makes similar claims against Oklahoma City and a retired Oklahoma City detective, who also investigated the robbery and shooting, which are not affected by the settlement and remain pending.
A spokesperson for Oklahoma City said Wednesday that the city does not comment on pending litigation.
The lawsuit alleges police falsified a report by stating that a witness who was wounded in the shooting identified Simmons and co-defendant Don Roberts as the two who robbed the store and shot the clerk.
The lawsuit also alleges police withheld evidence that the witness identified two other people as suspects.
Simmons was released from prison in July 2023 after a judge vacated his conviction and sentence and ordered a new trial.
District Attorney Vickie Behenna announced in September that she would not retry the case because there is no longer physical evidence against Simmons.
In December, a judge exonerated Simmons, saying there was “clear and convincing evidence” that he did not commit the crime and Simmons has received $175,000 from the state of Oklahoma for wrongful conviction.
Simmons served 48 years, one month and 18 days, making him the longest imprisoned U.S. inmate to be exonerated, according to data kept by The National Registry of Exonerations.
Simmons, who has maintained that he was in Louisiana at the time of the crime, and Roberts were both convicted of the murder of the liquor store clerk, Carolyn Sue Rogers, and sentenced to death.
Their sentences were reduced to life in prison in 1977 after U.S. Supreme Court rulings related to capital punishment and Roberts was released on parole in 2008.
Ohio
Family reaches $7M settlement in police shooting of 23-year-old man
The family of an Ohio man who was shot and killed by a former sheriff’s deputy will receive $7 million to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit over the December 2020 shooting.
The Franklin County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the settlement late last month.
Casey Goodson Jr., 23, was shot multiple times in December 2020 as he tried to enter his grandmother’s Columbus home. His death — one of several involving Black people killed by white Ohio law enforcement officers over the past decade — sparked national outrage and cries for police reform.
Goodson’s family issued a statement calling the settlement historic.
“The settlement allows Casey’s family to resolve their civil claims against Franklin County, enabling them to concentrate fully on the upcoming murder retrial of Michael Jason Meade,” family attorney Sean Walton said. “While no amount of money can ever compensate for the loss of Casey, this settlement is a crucial acknowledgment of the profound impact his death has had on his family and the broader community.”
Meade was charged with murder and reckless homicide, but a mistrial was announced in February when a jury couldn’t agree on a verdict, ending tumultuous proceedings that saw four jurors dismissed. Prosecutors soon announced he would face a retrial, which is scheduled to start Oct. 31, but they have since dropped one of the two murder counts he faced.
Meade has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers have said the prosecution’s decision to seek another trial was due to political pressure from local elected officials.
Meade testified that Goodson waved a gun at him as the two drove past each other, so he pursued Goodson because he said he feared for his life and the lives of others. He said he eventually shot Goodson because the young man turned toward him with a gun.
Goodson’s family and prosecutors have said he was holding a sandwich bag in one hand and his keys in the other when he was fatally shot. They do not dispute that Goodson may have been carrying a gun and note that he had a license to carry a firearm.
Goodson’s handgun, which had an extended magazine, was found on his grandmother’s kitchen floor with the safety mechanism engaged.
Meade was not wearing a body camera so there is no footage of the shooting, and prosecutors repeatedly asserted during the first trial that Meade is the only person who testified Goodson was holding a gun.
Alabama
Lawyer accused of sexually assaulting handcuffed inmate
An Alabama lawyer and former state senator has been accused of groping and sexually assaulting an incarcerated woman and trying to coerce her into being his “sex slave,” according to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday.
The lawsuit accuses Douglass “Doug” Ghee of sexual assault, battery, extortion, intentional inflicting of emotional distress, false imprisonment and wantonness. Ghee’s law firm, Ghee, Draper and Alexander, is also named in the complaint.
The lawsuit said that Ghee, 78, met with a 29-year-old woman in July as a public defender while she was incarcerated at the Calhoun County Jail, in the eastern part of the state. During the meeting, Ghee allegedly promised to use his friendship with the judge and assistant district attorney on her case to help her get a better deal, as long as she agreed to be his “sex slave” and pay him $2,500.
The meeting took place in a room designated for attorneys to meet with clients, the suit said. The woman was handcuffed and shackled the whole time, and there was a live video feed for a corrections officer to monitor the situation.
After the initial meeting, Ghee sent $30 to the woman’s jail account, the lawsuit said.
Five days later, Ghee and the woman had a second meeting in the same room, according to the lawsuit, and he is accused of groping and forcibly kissing her. A corrections officer intervened and removed the woman from the room, the lawsuit said.
People detained in Alabama jails cannot legally consent to sexual contact while incarcerated.
In July, after the alleged sexual assault, a Seventh Circuit presiding judge barred Ghee from representing any indigent clients in two districts in the eastern part of the state, AL.com reported.
Four judges have also recused themselves from Ghee’s cases, including the judge presiding over the incarcerated woman’s bond hearing.
The woman’s lawyers say she cannot initiate a criminal case against Ghee until she has a new judge assigned and can make bond.
“Further detainment just delays justice and extends the mental abuses in this case,” said the woman’s lawyer, Anthony Coleman. “As a result of her detainment, she is unable to file a criminal complaint in this matter. We filed this suit to preserve her rights and prompt the state to move forward without further delay.”
Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew Wade confirmed with WBRC-TV that there is an ongoing investigation into the accusations.
Ghee is a well-known lawyer in the area and served as a state senator between 1990 and 1998. A representative at his law offices said he declined to offer comment when The Associated Press called Wednesday.
The AP does not generally identify people alleging sexual assault unless they consent to be named.
Pennsylvania
Lawsuits: Officials failed 12-year-old girl who died after abuse at home
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The state, two counties and different schools missed warning signs and failed to protect a 12-year-old Pennsylvania girl who was suffering abuse at her home before she died in May, according to lawsuits filed Wednesday by the girl’s family.
Malinda Hoagland’s half sisters filed suits in Pennsylvania state court as well as in federal court alleging that the defendants negligently missed red flags, including that the girlfriend of Malinda’s father who was helping care for the girl had a previous child abuse conviction.
Malinda’s father, Rendell Hoagland, and the woman, Cindy Warren, are facing murder and other charges stemming from the May death of Malinda in Chester County in suburban Philadelphia. Attorneys are not listed for the pair.
“The civil claims seek to ensure that full and complete accountability will be achieved for the heinous actions of the educators, case workers, and institutions who all failed Malinda miserably,” the half sisters’ attorney, Tom Bosworth, said in a statement.
The suit mentions tragic treatment, including that she was chained to an air hockey table, denied food, forced to hold books over her head and do pushups. She was regularly berated and covered it bruises, the suit said.
The Chester County district attorney’s office arrested Rendell Hoagland and Warren after they reported Malinda was unresponsive in May. She was taken to the hospital, where staff found she had broken bones and bruising all over her body, according to prosecutors.
The state and Chester and Monroe counties are named in the federal suit as well as Upper Dublin and Coatesville Area school districts. The state suit names Commonwealth Charter Academy.
Wisconsin
Man convicted in killings of 3 men near a quarry
LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) — A man has been convicted in the fatal 2021 shootings of three men whose bodies were found outside a Wisconsin quarry.
A La Crosse County jury found Nya Thao, 37, of Onalaska guilty Tuesday of three counts of intentional first-degree homicide and one count of felon in possession of a firearm, the La Crosse Tribune reported.
It was Thao’s second trial in the killings; his first ended in a hung jury last year. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 14.
Thao and Khamthaneth Rattanasack were both charged in the July 2021 slayings of Peng Lor and Nemo Yang, both 24, and Trevor Maloney, 23. Their bodies were found outside the entrance of a quarry about 14 miles (23 kilometers) northeast of La Crosse, which is along the Minnesota border.
Prosecutors said Rattanasack believed at least one of the three had stolen $600 from him. A woman who had been with the victims told police that Rattanasack told them to get on their knees and gave Thao the gun Thao used to shoot them multiple times.
Rattanasack pleaded guilty in October to one count of first-degree intentional homicide as a party to a crime. He was sentenced to life in prison in January.
La Crosse County Sheriff John Siegel said Tuesday’s verdict “closes the door on a horrific crime not only perpetrated on 3 individuals, but our entire community.”
The Associated Press sent an email to Thao’s attorney on Thursday morning seeking comment on his client’s conviction.
