Roger “Dean” Gillispie (57) had to serve 20 years in prison – wrongly, as it turned out. In 1991, an Ohio court sentenced him to 56 years in prison. He was charged with kidnapping and raping a woman (28) and twin sisters, both then 22. Gillispie was also charged with aggravated robbery.
During his detention, he maintained his innocence and attempted to appeal against the verdict. He only got out of prison in 2011 after his innocence was proven.
Evidence was presented to the court that the detective then in charge of investigating Gillispie had withheld important information that could have exonerated the accused. Investigators told victims at trial that they might not recognize Gillispie because he had changed his hair color. He also allegedly withheld documents showing that Gillispie was in another state at the time of the crime.
“Nothing Can Compensate for the Horror”
Now he has been compensated for the lost life time. 45 million in damages! According to his attorney, this is the largest damages in Ohio history, as reported by The Columbus Dispatch.
Lots of money. But the precious life lost cannot be made up for with money, Gillispie explained after the verdict. The mental anguish and post-traumatic stress disorder he suffers from can’t be treated with money either. “The money is only for helping my family and me survive,” says Gillispie. His family is up to their necks in debt from the ordeal of the past 30 years.
“The horror inflicted on Dean and his family and community is hard to imagine,” said Mark Godsey, director of the Ohio Innocence Project, which brings justice to innocent convicts and also supported Gillispie’s lawsuit. “The way the authorities pushed through a conviction and then fought back and refused to admit they were wrong was so disappointing. Nothing can compensate Dean for the horror.” But the verdict “sends a strong message,” Godsey said. He hopes that the approach will change in the future. (Hi)