Kansas to pay $900,000 to wrongfully convicted man

Merardo Garcia Jr. was in prison for more than 13 years before a judge ruled he was wrongfully convicted. He could receive up to $900,000 in compensation from the state.

By

State News

January 27, 2022 - 9:36 AM

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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A man who spent more than 13 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of sex crimes against an 8-year-old Kansas girl could receive nearly $900,000 in compensation from the state.

Merardo Garcia Jr., 52, was convicted in 2008 of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and rape against a girl in Wichita. He was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in prison. His conviction was vacated in 2020 when the girl recanted her story.

Sedgwick County District Court Judge Seth Rundle last week agreed to the compensation and other concessions to resolve a lawsuit filed by Garza, the Kansas Attorney General’s office said Tuesday.

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