Southwest
City in Oklahoma to pay more than $7M to former death row inmate exonerated after nearly 50 years in prison
A city in Oklahoma has agreed to pay a settlement of more than $7 million to a former death row inmate who was exonerated after nearly 50 years in prison over his wrongful incarceration.
Glynn Ray Simmons, 71, was the longest-serving inmate to be deemed innocent of a crime. He had been convicted of robbing a liquor store and fatally shooting the clerk, but has maintained that he was in Louisiana when the crime occurred.
The Edmond City Council voted last week to settle the lawsuit Simmons brought against the city and a former police detective for $7.15 million, according to The Associated Press.
“Mr. Simmons spent a tragic amount of time incarcerated for a crime he did not commit,” Simmons’ attorney, Elizabeth Wang said in a statement. “Although he will never get that time back, this settlement with Edmond will allow him to move forward” with his life.
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Glynn Ray Simmons, 71, was the longest-serving inmate to be declared innocent of a crime. (Getty Images)
Police allegedly falsified a report by saying that a witness who was wounded in the shooting identified Simmons and co-defendant Don Roberts as the suspects who robbed the store and shot the clerk, according to the lawsuit, which also says police withheld evidence showing that the witness identified two other people as suspects.
Simmons was freed from prison in July of last year after a judge vacated his conviction and sentence and ordered a new trial.
Oklahoma County District Attorney Vickie Behenna said two months later that she would not retry the case since there is no longer physical evidence against Simmons.
A judge exonerated Simmons in December, stating that there was “clear and convincing evidence” that he was innocent.
Simmons received $175,000 from the state of Oklahoma for his wrongful conviction.
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A judge exonerated Glynn Simmons in December, stating that there was “clear and convincing evidence” that he was innocent. (Getty Images)
He served 48 years, one month and 18 days in prison, making him the longest serving inmate in the U.S. to be exonerated, according to The National Registry of Exonerations.
Simmons and Roberts were both convicted in 1975 of the 1974 murder of 30-year-old liquor store clerk Carolyn Sue Rogers, and both were sentenced to death.
Their sentences were reduced to life in prison in 1977 following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling declaring capital punishment unconstitutional, which led the Oklahoma Supreme Court to rule that all death penalty sentences before July 24, 1976, should be commuted to life in prison without parole.
Roberts was released on parole in 2008.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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About 20 people were detained Saturday during a large police response in Los Angeles’ Koreatown after authorities received reports of an armed man threatening people, officials said. Officers responded to the 3400 block of West 8th Street near Kingsley Drive on reports of an assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Los Angeles Police […]
A former Riverside County man was found guilty of sex trafficking a female victim and forcing her to engage in commercial sex acts along L.A.’s notorious Figueroa Corridor.
Elias Abdul Shabazz, 34, formerly of Perris, was found guilty by a jury following a five-day trial, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Prosecutors said Shabazz had led the victim to believe they were in a romantic relationship before he turned physically and sexually violent. He began demanding that the victim engage in commercial sex acts from May to October of 2021, court documents said.
He carried a handgun with him and, on occasion, was accused of using it to pistol-whip the victim. He also fired the gun at her feet while threatening to kill her, prosecutors said.
At trial, the victim said Shabazz demanded that she meet a daily quota of commercial sex proceeds and that she was terrified of the consequences of not meeting that quota.
She testified that Shabazz compelled her to work in the notorious Figueroa Corridor in South L.A., a dangerous area known for human trafficking and prostitution.
Shabazz had confiscated her identification card, Social Security card and birth certificate. He constantly monitored her cell phone to stop her from communicating with any friends or family.
“He also introduced her to addictive narcotics and controlled every aspect of her life, including when she ate, slept and showered,” prosecutors said.
In May 2025, Shabazz was arrested and has remained in federal custody. His last known address at the time was in Washington, D.C.
On June 26, 2026, Shabazz was found guilty of one count of coercing or enticing interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 6, where he faces 15 years to life in prison.
“Sex trafficking matters rank among the most tragic cases our office prosecutes,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. “This defendant will now face many years in a federal prison cell for his sick, disgusting, and disturbing behavior.”
“Elias Shabazz preyed on a vulnerable victim using physical and sexual violence and cruel psychological coercion to compel commercial sex acts for his own profit,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “There is no place for this type of conduct in civilized society. We deeply respect the victim’s courage to face her trafficker in court. The Criminal Division will continue to bring these cases and try them.”
Anyone with information about human trafficking can report tips to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888
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