A Kansas man who spent 17 years in prison for a crime committed by his doppelganger just received a $1.1 million settlement for his wrongful incarceration. Richard Anthony Jones was convicted of aggravated robbery in 2000 after a witness identified him as the culprit.
He maintained his innocence, and he was finally freed after the Midwest Innocence Project tracked down a man who looked just like Jones and lived near the crime scene. When shown photos of Jones and the new suspect, the witness recanted and a judge ordered Jones to be freed.
His doppelganger, Ricky Lee Amos, refused to admit he committed the crime and could not be charged because the statute of limitations had passed.
Under a new false-conviction law, Jones was granted $1.1 million, a certificate of innocence, and will have the record of his arrest and conviction expunged, along with the destruction of any biological samples associated with his case. The settlement also ordered the state to pay for counseling and will allow Jones to enroll in the state health care benefits program for the next two years.
"We are committed to faithfully administering the new mistaken-conviction statute the legislature enacted," Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said in a statement. "In this case, it was possible on the existing record to resolve all issues quickly, satisfy all of the statute's requirements, and agree to this outcome so Mr. Jones can receive the benefits to which he is entitled by law because he was mistakenly convicted."
Photo: Kansas Department of Corrections