An 83-year-old Las Vegas man will receive $ 2 million for wrongfully spending two decades behind bars.
Frank LaPena was incorrectly convicted twice of murdering Hilda Krause at a local casino in 1974.
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His legal battle saw several overturns that led to a second conviction with the actual murderer, Gerald Weakland, claiming LaPena hired him for the crime, before changing his mind on the stand.
“No amount of money can ever replace our freedom, but with this decision, Mr. LaPena will receive some redress for the years he has lost,” State Attorney General Aaron Ford said Tuesday.
The State of Nevada will have to grant LaPena $1,980,900 and a certificate of innocence. He was exonerated and his charges dismissed in 2019
