After an 11-year legal battle, Greg Parsons, the Newfoundland bodybuilder wrongfully convicted of killing his mother, will receive $650,000 in compensation from the Newfoundland government.
"Another chapter is closed," Mr. Parsons said in an interview yesterday after the announcement. "At least this chapter is closed and I can get on with my life."
Catherine Carroll was killed in her St. John's home in 1991. Mr. Parsons was convicted of her murder in 1994, but four years later was exonerated by DNA evidence. Police later charged a former family friend with the murder. Brian Doyle, a former resident of St. John's, was arrested in Mississauga, Ont., and formally charged with first-degree murder last June.
The exoneration of Mr. Parsons led to an unconditional apology from the Newfoundland government and a legal review. A civil lawsuit seeking compensation also followed.
"D N A are my favorite letters in the alphabet," Mr. Parsons said. "I'm where I am today because of science. Science is what acquitted me."
Although he did not spend as much time in jail, Mr. Parsons has been compared to two other men wrongfully convicted of murder, David Milgaard and Guy Paul Morin.
Newfoundland's Justice Minister said it was regrettable that Mr. Parsons was convicted of a crime he did not commit. "The government has acknowledged this and apologized to Mr. Parsons and his family for the disruption to their lives and the extreme anguish they have endured," said Kelvin Parsons, who isn't related to Greg Parsons.
While the Justice Minister expressed his sympathy for the family, the government did not admit the justice system did anything wrong.
"This compensation is based on humanitarian grounds; it is not an admission of wrongdoing by the Crown," the minister said in a statement.
Mr. Parsons's financial compensation includes a $200,000 cash payment, $450,000 that will be invested to provide him with a monthly income, and an additional $198,000 for legal fees and other costs. The award ends his civil case.
Receiving the compensation after such a long wait comes as a relief, Mr. Parsons said. It will mean being able to put groceries on the table for his two young sons. "We were struggling to make ends meet," he said.
Mr. Parsons, who lives in St. John's, works as a recruit for the fire department.
In 1998, the province appointed a retired Supreme Court justice, Nathaniel Noel, to review the investigation and prosecution of Mr. Parsons and come up with recommendations for compensation in an interim report.