Man Freed by DNA Evidence in Rape Suing City of Cheyenne
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A man exonerated after spending 23 years in prison for rape is suing the City of Cheyenne.
Andrew Johnson, 67, was convicted in 1989, but freed in 2013 after DNA collected from the victim showed it matched that of her fiance, not Johnson.
The federal lawsuit alleges that police "prompted or encouraged" the woman to say Johnson broke into her apartment and sexually assaulted her.
Cheyenne Mayor Marian Orr said she could not comment on the merits of the lawsuit.
The lawsuit doesn't specify the amount of money Johnson is seeking.
Like many states, Wyoming doesn't have a law requiring exonerated prisoners to be compensated. An effort to change that and protect cities from lawsuits like Johnson's failed at the Legislature in 2014.