Attorneys worked for decades on the case, showing there was jury tampering, that the detectives lied on the stand and hid evidence that would have freed Ronnie Long.
CONCORD, N.C. — The city of Concord will have to pay out a record settlement for its part in wrongfully convicting Ronnie Long and issue a formal apology to him.
Long was 21 years old in 1976 when he was sentenced to life in prison for a rape he didn’t commit. He spent 44 years behind bars until the courts finally overturned his conviction in 2020, citing the “troubling and striking pattern of deliberate police suppression of material evidence.”
Long was finally set free on Aug. 27, 2020.
Duke Wrongful Convictions Clinic attorneys worked for decades on the case, showing there was jury tampering, that the detectives lied on the stand and hid evidence that would have freed Long.
“Not only did law enforcement officers lie but prosecutors engaged in an active campaign to ensure despite the evidence of Ronnie’s innocence he remained incarcerated all these years, well past the time it was obvious they had a wrongful conviction,” Jamie Lau, the supervising attorney at the Duke Wrongful Convictions Clinic, said. Lau worked on Long’s case beginning in 2015.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper formally pardoned Long in December 2020, making way for him to receive a $750,000 payment from the state. But Long and his team filed a civil suitagainst the city of Concord, the detectives on the case and the State Bureau of Investigation.
As part of the settlement in that case, the city of Concord agreed to pay him $22 million and the State Bureau of Investigation paid him $3 million. That is the largest settlement of its kind in the state’s history, and one of the largest ever in U.S. history. The city of Concord also issued a formal apology which is another rare happening.
“Here, the city of Concord really owned up to the past misdeeds of city employees which is really remarkable,” Lau said. “I don’t know of any other case where a municipality has issued such an apology as part of a civil settlement.”
According to Long’s attorneys, the Concord Police Department targeted Long and manipulated the investigation. They also said the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office and Concord police chiefhandpicked the all-white jury that convicted him. The Duke Wrongful Convictions clinic showed investigators tested 43 fingerprints and a suspect’s hair that did not belong to Long but never disclosed that information.
In the settlement, the city of Concord acknowledges and accepts responsibility for the significant errors in judgment and willful misconduct by previous city employees which led to Long’s wrongful conviction and 44-year imprisonment.
“Ronnie is relieved,” Sonya Pfeifer, Long’s civil attorney said. “He’s relieved that [finally] there is a public recognition and an apology of what was done to him and his family.”
After reaching this agreement with Long and his attorneys, the Concord City Council made the following statement:
“We are deeply remorseful for the past wrongs that caused tremendous harm to Mr. Long, his family, friends, and our community. Mr. Long suffered the extraordinary loss of his freedom and a substantial portion of his life because of this conviction. He wrongly served 44 years, 3 months and 17 days in prison for a crime he did not commit. While there are no measures to fully restore to Mr. Long all that was taken from him, through this agreement we are doing everything in our power to right the past wrongs and take responsibility. We are hopeful this can begin the healing process for Mr. Long and our community, and that together we can move forward while learning valuable lessons and ensuring nothing like this ever happens again.”
“This result speaks to the magnitude of injustice that occurred in Mr. Long’s case,” said Chris Olson, one of Long’s civil attorneys. Ronnie Long not only has is and his family’s name restored but he also has exposed the unconscionable conduct that led to his wrongful conviction and received a full acknowledgement and apology from the city for the misconduct of its own. That apology goes a long way in helping Mr. Long heal.”
“No amount of money will ever compensate Ronnie Long for the 44 years he spent incarcerated and the indifference of numerous elected officials who fought to keep him incarcerated despite overwhelming evidence of his innocence,” said Clinical Professor Jamie Lau, the Duke Clinic’s Supervising Attorney. “While he was in prison his parents passed away; he missed birthdays, graduations, funerals, and other important events that mark a person’s life. He can never get this time back.”
“I think the message it sends — both the city and the SBI recognize there was significant harm done here, and although money can’t fix it, I think symbolically when it’s a large number like this one, I think that sends an equal message of apology,” Pfeifer said.
WCNC Charlotte is told Long should actually have a check in hand this week — Long and his family said they are relieved. WCNC Charlotte hopes to sit down with them on camera in the coming weeks.
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