Connecticut to award $5.9 million to family of disabled man wrongfully imprisoned for 1992 murder conviction
Connecticut is poised to pay nearly $5.9 million to the family of Richard Lapointe, a disabled man who was wrongly imprisoned for over two decades before being exonerated in 2015. Lapointe, who suffered from Dandy-Walker syndrome, a rare brain malformation, was convicted in 1992 for the murder and rape of an 88-year-old grandmother, Bernice Martin.
After years of legal battles, Lapointe’s conviction was overturned in 2015 when it was revealed that key evidence had been withheld from his defense. Lapointe’s lawyers argued that his mental disability played a role in his false confession, which was coerced during a lengthy interrogation without legal representation.
The state claims commissioner’s office recently approved the $5.9 million settlement for Lapointe’s family, pending legislative approval. Claims Commissioner Robert Shea Jr. deemed the award as “reasonable and appropriate,” acknowledging the state’s wrongdoing in prosecuting and imprisoning an innocent man.
Lapointe’s attorney, Paul Casteleiro, expressed that the settlement serves as a belated recognition of the injustice done to his client. Casteleiro lamented that Lapointe did not live to see his vindication, as he passed away in 2020 at the age of 74.
Following his release from prison, Lapointe struggled with dementia and ultimately succumbed to COVID-19 while residing in a nursing home. His family had been torn apart by his wrongful conviction, with his wife divorcing him and his son losing contact with him.
Advocates, including the Friends of Richard Lapointe and Centurion Ministries, have supported Lapointe throughout his ordeal. Centurion Ministries, where Casteleiro works, specializes in assisting the wrongly convicted.
The case of Richard Lapointe serves as a stark reminder of the flaws in the criminal justice system and the devastating impact of wrongful convictions. While the settlement may provide some measure of closure for Lapointe’s family, it cannot fully compensate for the decades of suffering and loss endured by an innocent man.
