A California man who spent 38 years in prison for a crime he did not commit has been awarded $25 million, marking what his lawyers call the largest wrongful conviction settlement in state history. The settlement was finalized in August, according to court documents released Monday.
Maurice Hastings, 72, was convicted and sentenced to life without parole for the 1983 sexual assault and murder of Roberta Wydermyer, who was killed by a single gunshot to the head. His lawsuit accused two Inglewood Police Department officers and a Los Angeles District Attorney investigator of framing him.
“No amount of money could ever restore the 38 years of my life that were stolen from me,” Hastings said. “But this settlement is a welcome end to a very long road, and I look forward to moving on with my life.”
Hastings sought DNA testing of evidence collected at the autopsy in 2000, but the DA’s office initially denied the request. In 2021, he submitted a claim of innocence, and DNA testing confirmed the semen was not his. In 2022, prosecutors requested vacating his conviction.
The DNA profile matched Kenneth Packnett, a convicted kidnapper with a criminal pattern resembling Wydermyer’s murder. Packnett, arrested in 1983 for an unrelated car theft, possessed jewelry and a coin purse belonging to Wydermyer but was not investigated for her murder at the time. He died in prison in 2020.
In 2023, a California judge officially declared Hastings factually innocent, confirming he did not commit the crime. He now lives in Southern California and remains active in his church.
“Police departments throughout California and across the country should take notice that there is a steep price to pay for allowing such egregious misconduct on their watch,” said Hastings’ attorney, Nick Brustin.
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