Kansas Man Spends Decades In Prison For A Crime Committed By His Doppleganger, Gets Awarded $1.1 Million 

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The state of Kansas has finally passed a new law that provides compensation to people who are wrongly imprisoned — and first up to receive his retribution is 42-year-old Richard Anthony Jones.

According to NBC News, Jones spent 17 years in prison for a crime he has always insisted he didn’t commit. Then attorneys discovered that there was a man who looked nearly identical to him and had a similar name.

Back in June 2017, Jones was released from prison after witnesses said they could barely tell the difference between the two men and no longer thought Jones was guilty. On Monday, a settlement was reached and the state of Kansas agreed to pay Jones $1.1 million for his wrongful conviction.

Jones was arrested in 1999 for an attack and robbery in the parking lot of a Walmart in Roeland Park, Kansas. Reports say that physical evidence linked Jones to the crime, but he fit the description of the suspect.

Two other mistaken conviction lawsuits are currently pending in Kansas. Hopefully justice will be served.