The state of Connecticut is poised to award nearly $5.9 million to the family of Richard Lapointe, a man with a developmental disability who spent over two decades in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Lapointe's 1992 conviction for the murder and rape of his wife's 88-year-old grandmother was overturned in 2015, but he tragically passed away in 2020 at the age of 74, never officially declared innocent. While the state claims commissioner's office approved the compensation on January 2nd, it awaits legislative endorsement.
Lapointe, who suffered from Dandy-Walker syndrome, confessed to the crime, but his legal team argued that his condition contributed to a false confession. After protracted legal proceedings, the state attorney general and Lapointe's lawyers reached a settlement. Claims Commissioner Robert Shea Jr. deemed the sum "reasonable and appropriate." Lapointe's attorney, Paul Casteleiro, welcomed the award as acknowledgment of the state's error but emphasized that no amount of money can truly compensate for the injustice Lapointe endured. He stressed the devastating impact of the wrongful conviction on Lapointe's life and family.
In 1987, Bernice Martin was found murdered in her Manchester, Connecticut, apartment. Lapointe's 1992 conviction was based significantly on his confessions during a lengthy police interrogation. His lawyers contended that his disability and the absence of legal counsel during questioning led to the false confession. The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that Lapointe's trial was unfair because prosecutors withheld potentially exculpatory police notes. Subsequent DNA testing cleared Lapointe, and all charges were dropped. He was released from custody, proclaiming his innocence. The actual perpetrator of Martin's murder remains unknown.
Lapointe's wrongful imprisonment shattered his family life. He was divorced by his wife, who has cerebral palsy, and lost contact with his son. After his release, Lapointe developed dementia and resided in a nursing home until his death from COVID-19. Throughout his ordeal, Lapointe received support from advocacy groups like Friends of Richard Lapointe and Centurion Ministries, which assists the wrongly convicted.
