Kentucky Woman Cleared After 36 Years: $2.9M Settlement for Life-Ruining Murder Conviction Of Her Boyfriend By Crooked Cops

A Kentucky woman, unjustly convicted in 2008 for her boyfriend’s murder, has secured nearly $3 million in a lawsuit against city officials and detectives, claiming they framed her for the crime. Johnetta Carr, among the nation’s youngest female exonerees, was arrested at just 16 years old for the 2005 murder of Planes Adolphe, a cab driver. Despite a lack of physical evidence connecting her to the crime, she was implicated alongside two innocent teenagers, Carla Sowers and Shawndric Williams.Carr maintained her alibi during intense interrogations, arguing against aggressive tactics used by detectives. Ultimately, she was coerced into an Alford plea, resulting in a 20-year sentence, but was paroled in 2009. Following a pardon in 2019, she successfully appealed her lawsuit against law enforcement misconduct, leading to the recent settlement. Carr now advocates for compensation for exonerees in Kentucky, where current laws offer no restitution for wrongful convictions.