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Then: In 1994, Cedric Willis was 19 years old, a young man with no criminal record, and the father of a newborn son. He was also in jail, under arrest for rape, murder, and robbery. When DNA evidence proved that Cedric could not possibly have committed the rape, that charge was dropped—but that same DNA evidence, which also suggested that Cedric wasn’t at the crime scene at all, was disallowed during the trial. Conflicting eyewitness identifications and procedural irregularities were similarly ignored. Thus in 1997, Cedric was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to life plus ninety years. In 2005, the Innocence Project New Orleans succeeded in getting Cedric’s conviction reversed and a new trial ordered. On March 6, 2006 a judge ruled the eyewitness identifications inadmissible. All charges against Cedric were dismissed. In addition to Cedric's recent state compensation agreement, he is suing the city of Jackson and four individuals he asserts were responsible for his wrongful incarceration. Jackson claims that the city officials are immune from such charges and is in the process of appealing the case. Immunity for city officials is often invoked by states when those wrongfully convicted seek compensation through lawsuits. Cedric is suing for $36 million which his lawyer says is just a starting point.
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