Man Suing City Of Denver After Wrongful Conviction
DENVER (CBS4) - 13 years, 7 months and 13 days.
That's how long Lorenzo Montoya spent behind bars after being wrongly convicted of murder when he was 14.
Montoya's conviction was overturned two years ago after DNA evidence proved he didn't kill Denver teacher Emily Johnson in January 2000.
Montoya is now suing the city of Denver and the Denver Police Department for $30 million.
Attorney David Fisher is representing Montoya and says his client decided to file a lawsuit in part because he wants to spur change.
"He's trying to sort of let go and move on with his life but the thing he keeps coming back to is he doesn't want this to happen to other kids," Fisher said.
After Johnson's murder police brought Montoya in for questioning.
"He said 'No I wasn't there, no I didn't do anything. Literally, we counted 65 times during this interrogation," Fisher said.
Montoya agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of accessory after the fact. It's a felony that remains on his record.