A man imprisoned 39 years for a murder he didn't commit is suing the city of Cleveland, alleging officers framed him. ideastream's Nick Castele reports the lawsuit was filed 40 years to the day since the slaying.
The case against Ricky Jackson hinged on the testimony of a 12-year-old boy. In 1975, the boy told police Jackson and two others were responsible for the murder of a salesman in University Circle.
That witness, now in his 50s, recanted his testimony last year. Prosecutors dropped the charges, and Jackson walked free last November. The other two men, Kwame Ajamu and Wiley Bridgeman, have also been exonerated.
The lawsuit alleges Cleveland police fabricated reports and other case documents and coerced the 12-year-old to implicate Jackson—depriving him of his civil rights and of decades as a free man.
The suit names as defendants the city of Cleveland and the officers-including the estates of some officers who have since died.
"By filing this lawsuit, he gets to force the police officers to answer questions about how this happened, and hopefully to hold them accountable," Jon Loevy, Jackson's attorney, said.
A state judge granted Jackson $1 million as part of his exoneration, and he could receive more later—though that is not connected to this suit. A spokesman for the city of Cleveland says the city does not comment on ongoing litigation.
