Black actor gets $13.1 million settlement after being framed by police for murder

A black man who spent more than six years behind bars won a $13.1 million settlement from the city of San Francisco after it was revealed he was framed by police for murder, The Associated Press reports.

According to the news agency, the city’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to settle a civil rights lawsuit brought by Jamal Trulove on Tuesday. The settlement had been negotiated by attorneys for the city and Trulove.

{mosads}Trulove was first arrested by San Francisco police in 2007 on charges related to the murder of Seu Kuka, who had reportedly been fatally shot in a local public housing project around the time. Trulove was convicted and sentenced to 50 years to life in prison for the murder in 2010.

But his conviction was overturned by a California appeals court in 2014 and a retrial was ordered. Trulove was acquitted later in 2015. 

In 2016, Trulove filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city of San Francisco.

In April 2018, a California jury found that two police officers involved in the case, Maureen D’Amico and Michael Johnson, had deliberately fabricated evidence against Trulove and failed to disclose vital information that could have exonerated him, according to the news agency.

Trulove’s attorneys also said police coerced a key eyewitness in the case.

Prior to his arrest in 2007, Trulove had been pursuing a career in acting and music. He had also appeared on the reality television show “I Love New York 2.”

The officers named in Trulove’s case have since retired. His attorney also said none of the officers were disciplined for their roles in the ordeal.