A Tennessee man who served 31 years in jail for a crime he didn't commit is petitioning the state to compensate1 him $1 million for the years of his life that were taken away. All he's gotten so far is $75.
美国田纳西州一名男子因被错判有罪坐牢31年,迄今为止仅得到了75美元的补偿,为了这些被剥夺的人生,他请愿要求州政府赔偿他100万美元。
In October 1977 a Memphis woman was raped3 in her home by two intruders. She later identified one of them as her neighbor, Lawrence McKinney, who was 22 at the time.
1977年10月,孟菲斯市一位女子被两个闯入自己家中的男子强奸,之后她指认其中一人是当年22岁的邻居劳伦斯·麦金尼。
He was convicted on rape2 and burglary charges in 1978 and sentenced to 115 years in jail.
1978年他被判强奸罪和盗窃罪,并被判处115年监禁。
DNA4 evidence cleared him of the charges in 2008, and when he was released in 2009, the Tennessee Department of Corrections gave him a $75 check to restart his life.
不过,2008年的DNA鉴定还了他的清白,他在2009年被无罪释放,田纳西州政府当时给了他一张75美元的支票以开启新的生活。
"Because I had no ID it took me three months before I was able to cash it," McKinney told CNN.
麦金尼在接受CNN采访时表示:“因为我没有身份证,所以三个月后才能取现。”
Now the 61-year-old is asking Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam to exonerate5 him.
现在,61岁的麦金尼请求田纳西州长比尔·哈斯勒姆为其“洗冤平反”。
The Tennessee Board of Parole, which makes recommendations to the governor, denied McKinney's request by a 7-0 vote at a hearing in September.
在2016年9月的听证会上,向州长请荐的田纳西州假释委员会以7-0票拒绝了麦金尼的平反请求。
"The (parole) board reviewed all relevant information related to the crime, conviction and subsequent appeals, as well as all information provided by the petitioner," said Melissa McDonald, spokesperson for the Tennessee Board of Parole. "After considering all of the evidence, the board did not find clear and convincing evidence of innocence6 and declined to recommend clemency7 in this matter."
田纳西州假释委员会发言人梅丽莎·麦克唐纳说:“委员会审查了与本案相关的所有资料,判决书、上诉请求以及请愿人提供的所有信息。在考虑了所有的证据后,委员会未找到清晰有力的证据来证实他的清白,所以委员会拒绝为本案申请平反。”
One of McKinney's attorneys, Jack8 Lowery, believes the decision should rest solely9 with Haslam.
麦金尼的辩护律师之一杰克·劳文认为,这个决定只得依靠州长哈斯勒姆。
Since his release, McKinney has worked hard to put his life back together and salvage10 the time he has left. In 2010 he married a pen pal11 with whom he corresponded during his time in jail.
被释放后,麦金尼就一直努力工作以使生活重回正轨,补救消逝的岁月。2010年,他和之前在狱中一直有保持通信往来的笔友结婚了。
"Although I've spent more than half of my life locked up for a crime I did not do, I am not bitter or angry at anyone, because I have found the Lord and married a good wife," McKinney said. "All I ask is that I be treated right and fair for what has happened to me. I didn't do nothing, and I just want to be treated right."
麦金尼说:“尽管我的半辈子都被莫须有的罪名给消耗掉了,但我也没有仇恨或者对谁愤怒,因为我找到了上帝,也有了一位好妻子。我现在需要的就是被公平、正确的对待,我是清白的,我需要一个说法。”
1 compensate [ˈkɒmpenseɪt] 第7级 | |
vt.补偿,赔偿;酬报 vi.弥补;补偿;抵消 | |
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2 rape [reɪp] 第7级 | |
n.抢夺,掠夺,强奸;vt.掠夺,抢夺,强奸 | |
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3 raped [reɪpt] 第7级 | |
v.以暴力夺取,强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 );强奸 | |
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4 DNA [ˌdi: en ˈeɪ] 第8级 | |
(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸 | |
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5 exonerate [ɪgˈzɒnəreɪt] 第10级 | |
vt.免除责任,确定无罪 | |
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6 innocence [ˈɪnəsns] 第9级 | |
n.无罪;天真;无害 | |
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7 clemency [ˈklemənsi] 第12级 | |
n.温和,仁慈,宽厚 | |
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8 jack [dʒæk] 第7级 | |
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;vt.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克 | |
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9 solely [ˈsəʊlli] 第8级 | |
adv.仅仅,唯一地 | |
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