NYC to pay $7M to man wrongfully convicted in 1996 killing
By JENNIFER PELTZ
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — New York City has agreed to pay $7 million to a man who spent 23 years behind bars for a murder he didn’t commit. Comptroller Brad Lander announced the settlement Monday with Grant Williams. He was exonerated last July in the 1996 shooting of Shdell Lewis outside a Staten Island public housing complex. Williams’ lawyer, Irving Cohen, says the settlement will help his client try to get back on his feet. He had unsuccessfully appealed his conviction for years before Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon’s office agreed to review it and eventually joined him in asking a court to dismiss his conviction. During the DA’s review, Williams was paroled in 2019.
