COMPTON, Calif.
Obie Anthony, who was released from prison after 17 years for a murder he did not commit, will receive $8.3 million in a settlement with the city of Los Angeles. Anthony, 40, and a friend, Reggie Cole, were convicted and sentenced to life in prison in the 1994 killing of Felipe Gonzales Angeles during an apparent robbery attempt outside a South L.A. brothel. Evidence later showed that the two men were not at the scene of the crime. Lawyers also showed that a pimp who was a key witness had lied, and prosecutors had not disclosed an agreement with him for a lighter sentence in exchange for his testimony. Anthony was released in 2011, and he sued Los Angeles for wrongful imprisonment. The judge in Anthony's case was critical of how the LAPD detectives and L.A. county prosecutors handled the case. The city admitted no wrongdoing and said detectives had done nothing improper. Anthony said he's going to use part of the money to open a center to help others who were wrongfully convicted and released to get their lives back together. "The money will never make up for it," said Anthony, who was only 19 when he was convicted. Anthony still has a lawsuit against Los Angeles prosecutors seeking compensation for his time in prison. Cole has similar lawsuits pending.