Ecorse settles lawsuit over convictions for $3.1M - WICU12/WSEE Erie, PA News, Sports, Weather and Events

Ecorse settles lawsuit over convictions for $3.1M

ECORSE, Mich. (AP) - A Detroit suburb has agreed to pay more than $3 million to two men who were convicted of attempted murder but released from prison when the victim recanted his testimony.

Marvin Reed and nephew DeShawn Reed were the first people whose convictions were overturned due to the work of law students at the University of Michigan.

The Reeds sued Ecorse police and informed a federal judge in October about a settlement. Each will get $1.57 million before legal fees.

In 2001, the Reeds were convicted of shooting Shannon Gholston in Ecorse in 2000. Police claimed that Gholston identified them by blinking his eyes in a hospital bed.

Gholston later testified against them at trial but recanted in 2008. Prosecutors dropped the case after a judge granted a new trial.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.