DALLAS (AP) _ A Texas man imprisoned for nearly two decades for the killings of a grandmother and five children that he didn’t commit has received $1.4 million in compensation that the state previously denied.
Anthony Graves received the money Thursday during a private meeting with Texas Comptroller Susan Combs.
Combs later said she was “delighted” to pay Graves the money.
A 2009 Texas law gives exonerated convicts $80,000 for every year spent in prison. But Combs previously denied the compensation because the order clearing Graves lacked the phrase “actual innocence.”
A law passed this year and signed by Gov. Rick Perry contained a provision addressing the Graves case.
Graves has said he’s grateful for the money, but it “doesn’t even come close” to making up for the time he spent in prison.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)