Innocent Man Gets Over $1M After 45 Years In Prison For A Crime He Didn't Commit

A 73-year-old father of two was once sentenced to 45 years in prison. He was released March 28, 2018, after it was determined that his conviction was without merit. He was later awarded $1.5 million in state compensation.

Richard Phillips, now 73, had been convicted in 1972 for murder in Michigan. "We have an obligation to provide compassionate compensation to these men for the harm they suffered," Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement, the Daily Mail reported on Tuesday.

Phillips previously worked for Crysler as a typist, and was convicted in 1972, along with co-defendant Richard Palombo. They were accused of murdering Gregory Harris in 1971.

The outlet reports that exonerated convicts can claim up to $50,000 for every year they are wrongfully imprisoned. In the case of Phillips, authorities subtracted 15 years from his payout -- which would have been $2.25 million -- due to an armed robbery sentence that he was already serving when he was convicted of the murder.

Following his release last spring after spending 45 years in prison, Phillips spoke about his time behind bars. He told DailyMailTV he spent his first few hours as a free man eating and visiting a casino. "In prison most of the food we have is served cold so to get a hot meal is a real treat," he said.

Looking back on his prison time, Phillips said he doesn't know how he survived.

"I missed out on a lot while I was locked up for 45 years for a crime I did not commit. I hadn't seen my kids and my mother died. Looking back on it, I don't know how I made it in prison," he shared.

"I got up every day while in prison going through the motions, just trying to survive. I finally had to leave it God's hands and my prayers were answered."