New York City and New York State agreed to pay $6.7 million to settle lawsuits on behalf of a Bronx man who served more than 12 years in prison before his murder conviction was overturned in 2007, reports the New York Times. The settlements were reached with the widow of Israel Vasquez, a 35-year-old iron worker who was fatally shot in 2012.
The settlements are the first to be reached by the city and state in lawsuits stemming from the investigation into two 1995 murders that occurred within days of each other in the Bronx, and which ultimately led to six people's being convicted and serving long sentences for crimes they said they had not committed. The first killing was the execution-style shooting of a Federal Express executive, Denise Raymond, in her apartment; the second was of a livery taxi driver, Baithe Diop, who was shot twice in his cab.