Connecticut to Compensate Family of Wrongfully Imprisoned Man

Connecticut will award nearly $5.9 million to the family of Richard Lapointe, a disabled man who spent 25 years in prison for a 1987 murder he did not commit. Lapointe’s conviction was overturned in 2015, but he passed away in 2020 at the age of 74.

The Wrongful Conviction

Lapointe was convicted in 1992 for the brutal murder of Bernice Martin, his wife’s 88-year-old grandmother, in her Manchester, Connecticut, apartment. Key evidence against him included confessions obtained during a 9.5-hour police interrogation, which his lawyers argued were coerced due to his mental disabilities.

Diagnosed with Dandy-Walker syndrome, a rare brain condition, Lapointe’s disability left him particularly vulnerable to coercion. No defense attorney was present during the interrogation.

Legal Battle and Overturned Conviction

In 2015, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled 4-2 that Lapointe had been denied a fair trial due to prosecutors withholding evidence that could have supported an alibi. DNA testing later that year found no link between Lapointe and the crime. Charges against him were dropped, and he was released from prison 10 days after the ruling.

Lapointe emerged from the Hartford courthouse wearing a shirt that read, “I didn’t do it,” and declared, “Of course I didn’t do it. That wasn’t me. I wouldn’t do nothing like that to nobody.”

State Compensation for Injustice

The $5.9 million award was issued by Connecticut’s Claims Commissioner Robert Shea Jr. on January 2, 2025. While Lapointe was never formally declared innocent, the state attorney general’s office and Lapointe’s lawyers agreed to settle the case.

Attorney Paul Casteleiro, who represented Lapointe, said, “The award is by no means adequate compensation for what was done to Richard Lapointe. The state destroyed his life for a crime he did not commit.”

Life After Prison

Lapointe’s wrongful conviction devastated his life and family. After his arrest, his wife, who has cerebral palsy, divorced him, and he lost contact with their young son. Following his release, Lapointe suffered from dementia and spent his final years in a nursing home, where he succumbed to COVID-19 in 2020.

Support and Advocacy

Throughout his imprisonment, Lapointe received support from advocacy groups, including Friends of Richard Lapointe and Centurion, an organization dedicated to helping the wrongfully convicted. Prominent figures, such as writers Arthur Miller and William Styron, also championed his cause, bringing national attention to his plight.