By Associated Press
Montgomery AL – The widow of a Montgomery man who spent more than two years in prison for a crime he did not commit has been awarded $129,000 over her husband's wrongful incarceration.
The state Committee on Compensation for the Wrongfully Incarcerated agreed unanimously on the ruling in the case for Robert "Bob" Doyle, a former insurance salesman who was imprisoned for two years and seven months.
Donna Doyle said Tuesday's ruling which was three years in the making was bittersweet.
Her husband of 11 years was released from prison in 2000, but died in 2007 from complications from diabetes and after three major heart attacks.
Before he died, Doyle started the Alabama Justice Ministries Network to connect churches, organizations and employers to the prison and jail system to help former convicts get back on their feet.
"Bob knew when all of this started that God had a plan," she said.
Bob Doyle was convicted in 1992 of abusing his daughters from his previous marriage, but the case was overturned in early 1999. That came after the discovery that a prosecutor had withheld evidence during the trial that would have proven Doyle's innocence.
Wrongly incarcerated people can be eligible for state compensation under Alabama law. To be eligible, a person must have been convicted by the state for one or more felonies, served time for the crime or crimes and then had that conviction reversed because the person was proven innocent.
Those that meet the criteria could receive up to $50,000 a year for each year of incarceration, but it can be a long and arduous process.
Robert Doyle lost his job when he was convicted, and his health deteriorated during the course of his trials and imprisonment. The Doyles also took on significant amounts of debt trying to clear his name.
Jerry Carpenter, a lawyer with the risk management division of the state Finance Department, said Doyle is eligible for $100,000 for the two years he was in prison and the $29,000 covers the 212 days he spent in jail.
The money now has to be appropriated in the state budget to pay the claim.
Corky Hawthorne, attorney for the Doyles, said he hopes the committee will also move to cover the cost the family incurred defending Bob Doyle and submitted records showing the Doyles could be entitled to more than $600,000 from the state for legal costs, Bob Doyle's medical costs and lost wages.
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Information from: Montgomery Advertiser, http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com
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