Michigan man cleared of killing 2 hunters to get $1 million for wrongful convictions

By ED WHITE
Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — The state of Michigan has agreed to pay $1.03 million to a man who spent nearly 21 years in prison for the deaths of two hunters. Jeff Titus’ convictions were thrown out in February. Titus qualified for compensation under the state’s wrongful conviction law. Titus had long declared his innocence in the fatal shootings of Doug Estes and Jim Bennett near his Kalamazoo County land in 1990. Titus was released from a life sentence earlier this year when authorities acknowledged that Titus’ trial lawyer in 2002 was never given a police file with details about another suspect. Thomas Dillon was an Ohio serial killer whose five victims between 1989 and 1992 were hunting, fishing or jogging.