Man compensated by Philadelphia after spending decades in prison for crime he didn't commit
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The city of Philadelphia has compensated a man who spent decades in prison for a crime he didn't commit.
After numerous court proceedings, both sides have come to a resolution.
Walter Ogrod, 59, is beginning a new chapter in life.
On Monday morning, his lawyer announced a $9.1 million dollar settlement with the city of Philadelphia.
"He felt that was a sufficient and significant amount of money to give him to move forward," Joseph Marrone, Ogrod's defense attorney, said.
Ogrod spent 28 years in prison for the 1988 murder of his neighbor, Barbara Jean Horn.
The 4-year-old's naked, battered body was found stuffed inside a cardboard TV box in Northeast Philadelphia.
Ogrod confessed to the murder but later said the confession was coerced.
Three years ago, a judge threw out his conviction after DNA evidence proved he was innocent.
The exoneration means Barbara Jean's case is now an unsolved murder. The DNA found on the victim's body was uploaded to local, state and national databases, but there haven't been any hits.
There's still hope police can track down Barbara Jean's killer.
"The investigation into the murder of Barbara Jean Horn is ongoing and the family will be updated as appropriate," a spokesperson for the city of Philadelphia said.
"Through the civil litigation process, we were able to discover new DNA," Marrone said. "There's a whole debate, and the city will debate, whether or not that is viable DNA to be tested."
Ogrod said he plans to use some of the settlement money to hire a private detective to help solve Barbara Jean's murder. He also wants to fight for other inmates wrongfully incarcerated.
"I would like to buy a building, fix it up, have a place for them to stay cause most of the people, after 20, 30, 40 years, have no family left. They got no place to go," he said.
Ogrod said he once broke his typewriter writing because he wrote so many letters asking people to reconsider his case. His message to other innocent people locked up is to never give up.
