The city of Austin, Texas, reaches a tentative agreement to pay $35 million to three men and the family of a fourth who were wrongly accused in the 1991 rape and murder of four teenage girls at a yogurt shop. The case led to severe prison outcomes for those involved: one man is reported to have been sent to death row and another to have received a life sentence.
According to accounts from multiple outlets, the men are ultimately declared innocent after later investigation findings identify another suspect as responsible for the crimes. The judge’s decision, issued in February, comes after investigators determine that the offence was committed by a suspect who died in 1999. Following the innocence ruling, the settlement is described as a city payment intended to resolve the wrongful-accusation claims.
One outlet also notes the settlement figure in New Zealand dollars, but the agreed amount reported is $35 million in US currency. The settlement is presented as tentative at the time of reporting.
