African-American man wrongfully jailed for 39 years to receive $1m after being cleared of murder

An African-American man who was set free last year after spending 39 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit but was falsely convicted for will receive about $1m as compensation from the state of Ohio. He was one of 3 men given death sentence in 1975 after being convicted of aggravated murder in the slaying of a businessman outside a corner store in Cleveland.

Prosecutors as at that time of the case relied on the testimony of a 13 year-old boy to convict Mr Jackson, now 58, and two brothers, Wiley Bridgeman and Ronnie Bridgeman, who were his best friends.

Many years later, the boy, Eddie Vernon, who earlier claimed to witness the crime recanted his testimony and told authorities he had never actually witnessed the crime.

According to Sky News, when told of his compensation fee Ricky Jackson said 

"Wow, wow, wow, that's fantastic, man. I don't even know what to say. This is going to mean so much."

However, Wiley Bridgeman and Ronnie Bridgeman have not received any compensation yet.