Photo Courtesy of California Innocence Project
Riverside County, California, paid Horace Roberts, A Black man, $11 million after filing a lawsuit for being falsely convicted of murder and framed in 1998.
Roberts filed a federal lawsuit against the county and the sheriff’s department in 2019, a year after being released from prison, claiming that he was framed for killing his girlfriend, Terry Cheek.
He claims that police ignored any evidence that pointed to the actual suspect, hid evidence from prosecutors, and falsified police reports.
“Throughout their investigation, defendants suppressed the physical, eyewitness, and documentary evidence they obtained implicating Harris Sr. and his family members from state prosecutors, plaintiff, and his criminal defense attorneys. In so doing, the defendants let the real killers run free and instead focused on framing an innocent man,” the lawsuit read according to REVOLT.
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After a judge ruled him to be innocent, Roberts was released from Avenal State Prison in October 2018. DNA evidence obtained by the California Innocence Project led to the connection of Googie Harris Sr, Cheek’s estranged husband, his son Googie Harris Jr., and Joaquin Leal, her nephew by marriage to her death. Harris Sr. and Leal were later taken in and charged with Cheek’s death.
A year later, Harris Jr. was also arrested and charged for his involvement in the murder. According to the California Innocence Project, Harris Sr. was envious of Cheek’s relationship with Robert, which led him, his son, and nephew to fabricate evidence and frame Roberts to look like he was the one who killed Cheek.
Roberts claims that the police also tampered with the investigation, who wrote false reports, and hid evidence that could have incriminated the real murderers.
Harris Jr. pleaded guilty to accessory to murder under a plea agreement with prosecutors and is set for sentencing next February.