Ronnie Long/Photo Courtesy of The Charlotte Observer
Ronnie Long spent 44 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. He was accused of raping a white woman in the mid-1970s but was finally freed in August 2020. Though North Carolina paid Long $750,000 for the wrongful imprisonment, he says it’s about more than money.
In 1976, Long’s life changed forever. After being accused of sexually assaulting a 54-year-old widow, Long was pointed out by the rape victim during his trial. She allegedly told officers, “there was no doubt in her mind that this person Ronnie W. Long was the person who entered her house.”
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The wrongly-imprisoned man was sentenced to two life terms and sent to a North Carolina prison to serve the time at only 20-years-old. However, a breakthrough came in 2005 when Long’s attorneys petitioned to review the crime scene’s evidence. As it turned out, several things were discovered, including hair samples and clothing fibers that didn’t match him. None of this evidence was shared with Long’s defense team during his 1976 trial.
Since gaining his freedom last fall, Long has received a $750,000 check from North Carolina. According to USA Today, wrongfully imprisoned citizens in the state can receive $50,000 for each year they spent in prison, but the amount is “capped” at $750,000.
Now aged 65, Long is less concerned with the money and more about the time he can never get back. “You took my 20s, my 30s, my 40s and my 50s and you still talking about this is worth that?” he told USA Today.
Long also spoke with CNN about North Carolina’s laws, asking how his life could only be worth three-quarters of a million and that the law’s “cap” needs to be addressed. “
It’s also time to revisit the compensation statute as a whole, as the Governor should not have full authority over who does and does not receive compensation.”Though it’s unclear whether Long will pursue the wrongful imprisonment or state laws in court, he makes it clear that he’s definitely not satisfied with what he received.