$7M settlement approved by Oklahoma City

The city of Edmond, Oklahoma has agreed to pay $7.15 million to Glynn Simmons, who spent nearly 50 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. Simmons filed a lawsuit against the estate of a late detective and the city of Edmond, alleging that evidence was hidden and falsified in his case. His legal team has secured the settlement with Edmond, while claims against other defendants are pending. Simmons, who was convicted in the 1974 shooting of a store clerk, was released in 2023 and declared “actually innocent.” He is set to receive compensation from the state of Oklahoma, and a jury trial in his federal case is scheduled for March 2025. Another man, Don Roberts, was also convicted of the same murder and hopes for a similar determination of innocence. Simmons’ case is considered one of the longest-serving wrongful convictions in U.S. history. Despite the long legal battle, Simmons credits his faith for sustaining him through the ordeal.

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