Ronnie Long, a black man who spent 44 years in prison before he was exonerated of raping a white woman in NC, gets $25m settlements

Ronnie Long, 64, was awarded $25million in a wrongful conviction settlement on Tuesday in North CarolinaLong was convicted of raping a white woman, Sarah Judson Bost, then 54, at knifepoint in her home on April 25, 1976 Long was officially released from prison after 44 years on August 27, 2020, and was pardoned four months later by Governor Roy Cooper

A black man who spent 44 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of raping a white woman in North Carolina was awarded $25 million in settlements over his incarceration.

Ronnie Long, 68, was freed in 2020 after his first-degree rape and burglary convictions were vacated by the United States District Court.

Long settled his civil lawsuit with the city of Concord, approximately 25 miles from Charlotte, for $22million on Tuesday after the State Bureau of Investigation had previously settled for $3million.

Duke Law School’s Wrongful Convictions Clinic, who represented Long, said the deal is the second largest wrongful conviction settlement to date.

‘Have we found justice in this case? Absolutely not. No amount of money will ever compensate Ronnie for all that he lost, but this is a big step forward for him,’ Jamie Lau, Long’s criminal attorney, said in a statement.

Ronnie Long, pictured in 1976, was awarded $25million in settlements after he was wrongfully convicted of raping a white woman at knifepoint and served four decades behind bars

Long was officially released from prison on August 27, 2020, after his defense team appealed false evidence and false testimonies  from Concord police officers

The city issued a rare public apology to Long, which Sonya Pfeiffer, one of Long’s civil attorneys, said was a part of his settlement demand.

‘He also got a private apology, a direct apology, which was meaningful too,’ Pfeiffer said.

City spokeswoman Lindsay Manson said in a statement on Tuesday: ‘The city of Concord acknowledges and accepts responsibility for the significant errors in judgment and willful misconduct by previous city employees that led to Long’s wrongful conviction and imprisonment.’

Long, then 20, had been in prison after he was convicted by an all-white jury of raping a white woman, Sarah Judson Bost, then 54, at knifepoint in her home on the evening of the April 25, 1976.

At the time, Long was living in Concord and Bost was reported to have been told by detectives they believed her suspected rapist was in court on an unrelated case and was told to see if she recognized him.

Later that day, she picked out Long, who had been making an appearance in court on a minor trespassing case. Bost claimed she recognized his voice, NBC News reported.

Long was also put in a photo lineup as the only man wearing a leather jacket, which was what was worn on the night of the attack, according to court records.

Long had an alibi for the time of the assault. His mother, who he lived with at the time, and the mother of his child said he was on a group phone call with them as he got ready to attend a party in Charlotte.

After his conviction, Long was sentenced to 80 years for rape and first-degree burglary.

Despite decades of appeals to overturn the conviction – and though DNA evidence obtained throughout the years pointed to his innocence – he remained in jail.

The DNA evidence in question was hair samples and clothing fibers that didn’t match Long. According to news reports, the evidence was not shared with the defense at the time of the trial.

Long stands in a hallway at the Albemarle Correctional Institution in Albemarle, east of Charlotte, in 2007

Long (left) is pictured with lawyer Jamie Lau (right) on August 27 as he leaves the prison after his charges were vacated by the US District Court

In 2015, it was revealed that 43 fingerprints taken from the scene ‘excluded’ Long as the source of the prints. A request for a new trial was still rejected by the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals that same year.

‘I feel as though the criminal justice system here in this state failed me,’ Long previously told 48 Hours.

Long’s attorney also said that his original defense team was unaware that a rape kit and other evidence had been taken from the victim or that a hair was found at the scene that didn’t match Long.

North Carolina state attorneys argued that despite this apparent evidence suppression, it wouldn’t have changed the jurors’ verdict, so Long remained in prison.

His attorneys also accused Concord police officers of giving false testimonies about the evidence at Long’s trial.

In a previous interview Long told 48 Hours: ‘I’m 64, going on 65. They took my life away from me when I was 20 years old. I ain’t got nothing but memories. But yet, and still, you say the evidence collected in the case was immaterial?’

Years later, the Fourth Circuit US Court of Appeals ruled that Long’s rights had been violated by what it called ‘a troubling and striking pattern of deliberate police suppression of material evidence.’

The North Carolina Attorney General’s office then decided to stop fighting Long’s case, leading to his release from Albemarle Correctional Institution.

Long was officially released from prison on August 27, 2020, and was pardoned four months later by Governor Roy Cooper. He was given $75,000 as a settlement by the state the following year.

Lau said that since his release, his client has been fighting for criminal justice reform as he put a portion of his earnings toward the cause.

While Long was in prison, his parents died. When he was released, Long said he planned to visit their gravesite and tell them ‘your son is clear’

Long has been fighting for criminal justice reform since his release as he put a portion of his earnings toward the cause

‘We are hopeful this can begin the healing process for Mr. Long and our community, and that together we can move forward while learning valuable lessons and ensuring nothing like this ever happens again,’ Lau said.

‘One thing he recognizes is that he’s in a position of power now where he’s achieved a record settlement financially so that sets the bar for others,’ his other attorney, Pfeiffer said.

While incarcerated, Long lost both of his parents and missed precious holidays and moments with his family.

Once he was released, Long said he planned to visit his parents’ gravesite and tell them ‘your son is clear.’

Manson said the city of Concord is ‘deeply remorseful for the past wrongs that caused tremendous harm to Mr. Long, his family, friends, and our community.’

‘He wrongly served 44 years, 3 months and 17 days in prison for a crime he did not commit,’ the city’s statement added.