Las Vegas, Nevada — A federal jury in Las Vegas has mandated a compensation of over $34 million to a woman who spent nearly 16 years in prison for a murder she didn’t commit. The woman, now 41 and going by the name Blaise, was only 18 years old when she was first arrested for the 2001 slaying.
Blaise was visibly moved, shedding tears and embracing her legal team as the verdict was announced. She expressed relief at the resolution of a lengthy and arduous legal struggle. Despite the financial compensation, Blaise shared her uncertainty about the future, reflecting on the irreplaceable years lost.
In 2001, the victim, a homeless man named Duran Bailey, was found murdered in Las Vegas. Despite the lack of physical evidence linking Blaise to the crime, she was implicated based on a supposed jailhouse confession during which she allegedly admitted to killing a man in self-defense during a methamphetamine binge.
Blaise’s legal ordeal began with her initial conviction in 2002, which was later overturned in 2004 due to procedural errors concerning witness testimony. She faced trial once more in 2006, resulting in a conviction for manslaughter among other charges, and received a sentence ranging from 13 to 45 years.
Her freedom came in late 2017, after appeals facilitated by the Innocence Project and local attorneys who presented evidence that Blaise was over 150 miles away in her hometown of Panaca, Nevada, at the time of Bailey’s murder. Following her exoneration, a state court officially declared her innocence in October last year.
The jury’s decision reflects a damning critique of the investigative methods employed by the Las Vegas police and two now-retired detectives. It found that the detectives had concocted evidence and inflicted emotional distress deliberately on Blaise. Each detective faces $10,000 in punitive damages, underscoring the serious ethical breaches in their handling of the case.
The legal representatives for the detectives declined to comment but hinted at a potential appeal, which indicates that the judicial proceedings might continue to evolve.
As this case closes a chapter on a significant miscarriage of justice, it also highlights broader issues in the criminal justice system regarding evidence integrity and the ethical responsibilities of law enforcement.
The Clark County Sheriff and District Attorney have raised concerns about the process through which Blaise’s innocence was officially recognized, requesting a state-level inquiry into the matter.
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