Jury Awards Wrongfully Convicted North Carolina Man $6 Million

On Wednesday, a North Carolina man who spent more than 20 years in prison on a wrongful murder conviction was awarded $6 million in damages by a federal jury. 

Darryl Howard, 58, spent 23 years of his 80-year sentence in prison before his conviction was set aside on August 31, 2016. The Associated Press reports that a Durham County judge recognized there was police and prosecutorial misconduct. 

Now, a Winston-Salem jury found former detective Darryl Dowdy made up evidence and failed to properly investigate the 1991 murder of Doris Washington and her 13-year-old daughter, which led to Howard’s conviction. Howard filed a civil suit in 2017 against Dowdy, the city of Durham, and others. Over time, the lawsuit was narrowed down to just Dowdy. He denied any wrongdoing. 

“I’m happy about the verdict,” Howard said of the award. “But I’m just kind of upset about the damages. 23 years of my life… but I’m happy about the verdict.”

Howard told The News & Observer that the 23 years he spent in prison were difficult and that $6 million doesn’t make up for that. Howard and his legal team were hoping for something much closer to the $48 million they were asking for. 

“I think the verdict doesn’t value the suffering that Darryl went through,” said Howard’s attorney, Nick Brustin. 

Dowdy’s attorney, Nick Ellis, says they accept the jury’s decision but not the conclusion. Ellis believes the jury should have awarded no more than $500,000, taking into account Howard’s history of drug addiction, drug dealing, and having been shot around ten times in five different incidents.