William “Ricky” Virgil, a Kentucky Black man who spent 28 years in prison for murder was released after DNA evidence exonerated him in 2016. He then sued the city of Newport, Kentucky and the police for a wrongful conviction shortly after. Unfortunately, Virgil died before he ever got the chance to confront the police in court who are being accused of framing him, according to WCPO.
During the last few decades, we have seen a sharp increase in high-profile exonerations of Black people, particularly Black men because of the heightened sense of social justice in the country.
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Virgil’s civil trial was originally set to begin in federal court in August 2021 in Covington, Kentucky. But U.S. District Court Judge David Bunning delayed the case so the accused officers could appeal.
At the time, Elliot Slosar, Virgil’s attorney, accused the police officers of stalling and warned that 69-year-old Virgil might not survive a long delay in the trial. His worst fears came true because on Jan. 2, Virgil died, according to WCPO.
Officers Marc Brandt and Norm Wagner and their attorney, Jeff Mando, claim that the appeal was not meant to stall the trial, but their right so they could get a fair ruling from the court. Now in the hands of the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, a trial might not take place until 2023.
Source: Exonerated Black Man in Kentucky Dies Before Wrongful Conviction Suit Goes to Trial
