TULSA, Okla. (KFOR) – After spending nearly three decades behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit, an Oklahoma man is now suing the state.
In 1991, Corey Atchison was convicted of murdering James Warren Lane.
Officials say Atchison was convicted on testimony from a single witness, who eventually came forward to say he was coerced by police into testifying against Atchison.
In 2019, a Tulsa County judge ruled that Atchison was wrongly convicted of the crime and should be released from prison.
“I’m feeling blessed. It’s unbelievable. Blessed,” said Atchison.
Now, Atchison has filed a lawsuit against the state.
In the lawsuit, Atchison says prosecutors and members of the Tulsa Police Department coerced witness testimony to convict him of the crime.
The maximum payout that Oklahoma allows for wrongful convictions is $175,000.
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