$ 11 million for an American for 20 years in prison for a crime he did not commit

 A US citizen has received $11.7 million to be paid by the municipality of Idaho Falls in the state of Idaho, in compensation for the loss of his freedom for 20 years he spent in prison for the rape and murder he did not commit.

Christopher Tabb, 45, who was convicted in the case in 1998, was able to clear his name thanks to DNA technology through what is known as the "Innocence Project", a program overseen by a non-profit group that aims to review crimes of this type through the technology of DNA.

Tapp was acquitted in 2019 of the murder of 18-year-old Angie Dodge after the victim's mother, Carol, took part in the program and took another look at the case in light of advances in DNA analysis.

Thanks to this technology, it turns out that the real culprit is a person named Brian Lee Drips who, in February 2021, confessed to first-degree murder and rape and was sentenced in June 2021 to life imprisonment.

Dodge was sleeping in her apartment on June 13, 1996, when Drips broke into her apartment, raped her, and nearly decapitated her. The mystery of her murder continued unsolved for nearly a year until Tapp, who was 20 at the time, was arrested.

After a series of interrogations that lasted about 30 hours, investigators were not convinced that Tabb had committed the crime, but they also did not find his DNA at the crime scene.

Tapp was convicted of rape and murder in May 1998 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

The case resurfaced about 10 years ago when Carol sought to participate in the "Innocence Project" after feeling unconvinced that Tapp was her daughter's killer due to a DNA mismatch.

After studying crime scene evidence, he found a "cigarette butt" containing the DNA of the real perpetrator, Drips, who lived near the victim's home at the time of her murder but later moved to another area.

In a statement, Mayor Rebecca Kasper apologized for the city's role in Tapp's conviction, saying she hoped the settlement and apology would help close the case, and vowed to review city policies to prevent a recurrence.

In a statement carried by The Associated Press, Tapp said: "No amount can make up for the more than 20 years of my life spent in prison for crimes I did not commit...However, the settlement will help me move forward with my life."

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news