Earlier this week, Oklahoma County District Judge Amy Palumbo updated the dismissed murder conviction of 71-year-old Simmons and declared him “actually innocent,” acknowledging a lack of proof connecting him to the 1974 murder of Carolyn Sue Rogers in an Edmond liquor store.
The ruling makes Simmons eligible for up to $175,000 in compensation for spending 48 years in prison.
He was released from prison in July after his case was thrown out when it was decided he did not receive a fair trial, and his case was dismissed in September at the request of District Attorney Vicki Behenna who said her office could not prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
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