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A man from Massachusetts, Michael Sullivan, spent over a quarter of a century in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Despite being exonerated, Sullivan's pursuit of justice has been met with mixed outcomes. Last week, a jury decided to compensate him $13 million for his wrongful conviction and imprisonment, but a state law restricts his payment to just $1 million.
In 1987, Sullivan, who lived in Lowell, was convicted of the m_rder of Wilfred McGrath. The previous year, McGrath's body had been discovered behind an abandoned Stop & Shop in Somerville, wrapped in a quilt, according to court documents. Sullivan was found guilty of m_rder and several other charges, including armed robbery.
Recently, a jury determined that Sullivan had provided “clear and convincing evidence” of his innocence in connection to the charges against him. After years of legal battles, they concluded that Sullivan deserved $4 million for his lost freedom and an additional $9 million for the pain, suffering, and emotional turmoil he endured during his imprisonment.
However, Massachusetts law imposes a cap of $1 million for damages awarded in wrongful conviction cases, significantly reducing the jury’s suggested payout. Sullivan’s attorney, Michael Heineman, spoke with The Boston Globe about the situation. He acknowledged that while the financial outcome could have been far better, what mattered most to Sullivan was clearing his name.
“The million dollars can make a big difference in his life. He’s thrilled with it. Would he have liked it to be 13? Sure. But he has no hard feelings at all about that,” Heineman told The Globe. “His main concern was getting that declaration, because he still hears people whispering, ah, he got off on a technicality.”
Sullivan's ordeal began when he was just 26 years old, convicted of m_rder and armed robbery in 1987. He spent the next 26 years behind bars, only gaining his freedom in 2013. It wasn't until 2019 that the criminal case against him was formally dismissed.
The real perpetrator, according to Sullivan and his attorneys, was a man named Gary Grace. They argue that Grace provided false testimony to the police in exchange for a plea deal. Furthermore, a Massachusetts State Police chemical analyst named Robert Pino wrongfully linked physical evidence to Sullivan.
A complaint filed in Suffolk Superior Court detailed evidence that pointed toward Grace's involvement. The complaint cited “overwhelming forensic evidence” that linked Grace’s apartment to the crime scene. Grace eventually pleaded guilty to lesser charges and claimed that Sullivan had assaulted McGrath.
Another person who had connections to the crime testified that Sullivan had no involvement. However, despite this, another piece of physical evidence appeared to place Sullivan at the crime scene. Pino, the chemical analyst, had testified that blood and hair found on Sullivan's jacket linked him to the m_rder, according to the complaint.
Pino was fired from the Massachusetts State Police crime lab in 2007 after spending more than two decades as a chemist. According to the complaint, Pino’s misconduct included allowing improper sample collection, submitting incomplete results to law enforcement, and failing to report DNA matches to prosecutors within the required timeframe—sometimes even after the statute of limitations had expired.
In 2011, Sullivan successfully filed a motion to have his clothing reexamined. The results of the new tests revealed that his jacket contained no traces of blood, nor was McGrath's DNA present. The analysis of the hair sample was inconclusive, directly contradicting Pino's earlier claims.
“Pino simply fabricated evidence,” the complaint stated, emphasizing that the fabricated evidence “proved to be the difference between guilt and innocence.”
With his name cleared and the truth finally out, Sullivan now faces the challenge of rebuilding his life, bolstered by both a declaration of innocence and the financial compensation that, while much smaller than intended, will help him move forward.
