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Wrongfully Convicted Man Gets $5.25M After 21 Years
19 May
Summary
- Man receives $5.25 million settlement after 21 years of wrongful imprisonment.
- New evidence points to a serial killer as the actual perpetrator.
- Cold case detectives withheld crucial information during the original trial.
Jeff Titus, a 74-year-old Michigan resident, has received a $5.25 million settlement after spending 21 years wrongfully incarcerated. He was convicted in 2002 for the 1990 murders of hunters Doug Estes and Jim Bennett. The initial investigation cleared Titus due to a solid alibi, but a decade later, cold case detectives reinvestigated, focusing on inconsistent statements from alibi witnesses. Despite a lack of physical evidence, Titus was convicted.
The Michigan Innocence Clinic became involved in 2012, spurred by the original investigators who believed the wrong man was imprisoned. A potential serial killer, Thomas Dillon, who confessed to other murders of outdoorsmen around the same time, emerged as a suspect. Evidence suggested Dillon was in the area and had bragged about killing two hunters. Crucially, information regarding Dillon and witness testimonies about a suspicious "ditch guy" were allegedly withheld from Titus' defense team.
Titus was released in 2023 with his convictions erased. The recent settlement with Kalamazoo County cold case detectives stems from the withholding of this exculpatory information. While the funds cannot recover lost time, Titus's lawyer expressed hope for his future comfort.
