CA Man Receives $720,000 Settlement for 11 Years False Imprisonment

A Los Angeles man who spent more than a decade in prison for three murders and a rape he didn't commit will receive $720,000 to settle his lawsuit against the city.

David Allen Jones, who spent a total of 11 years behind bars for the wrongful convictions, reached the agreement with the LA City Council after DNA evidence cleared him of the killings.

Jones was convicted in 1995 for the murders of Tammie Christmas, Mary Edwards and Debra Williams.

The rape conviction was against a fourth woman.

Police initially singled out Jones for questioning because he lived near where the victims' bodies were found in South LA. Also, Jones had been previously convicted of the attempted rape of a prostitute.

Jones, who is described of having the mental capacity of an 8-year-old, has always maintained his innocence of these crimes, but encountered trouble by giving conflicting statements regarding his actions at the time of the murders.

Glen Tucker, Jones' attorney, called the deal fair. "It was a long time coming," he said.

The same DNA tests that cleared Jones led to the arrest of Chester D. Turner for the murders of two of the women.

Source: FindLaw, www.findlaw.com