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Man Wrongfully Imprisoned For 25 Years Filing $125 Million Lawsuit Against Detroit Police

DETROIT (WWJ) - A Detroit man who spent 25 years in prison for a murder he did not commit is now suing the officers who put him behind bars for $125 million.

In 1992, Desmond Ricks was convicted of murdering Gerry Bennett based on testimony from Detroit police that bullets found in Ricks' mother's gun, the supposed murder weapon, match the bullets found in the body. The problem: police lied about the bullets -- but that wasn't discovered until 25 years later.

On June 1, 2017,  it was proven that the bullets recovered from the victim's body did not come from Ricks' mother's gun and Ricks was released from prison.

"This is as bad a frame job as anything I have ever seen by police," his attorney Wolf Mueller said. "Since the officers cannot be put in prison, this is the only way to begin to right a horrific misconduct and the harm to our criminal justice system."

Ricks, now 51, is likely eligible for $50,000 a year in restitution under Michigan's new wrongful imprisonment law, but he's still allowed to filed a separate civil lawsuit for which there is no limit on compensation — and he plans on it.

Speaking to WWJ's Sandra McNeill, Ricks said he believes he deserves something for the time he lost.

"(There's) like a 26-year-old person inside of me that wants to get out, but he can't come out, you know? He's 51 now," Ricks said. "So I have to battle... I have to do certain things that 51-year-old men do, and I can't do certain things that 26-year-old men do. I'm like a new child; I just want to go and see and do, but I have to keep things in moderation."

The lawsuit is also being filed on behalf of Ricks' daughters, one of whom was just 5-days-old when Ricks was arrested.

Ricks said he needs to worry about moving forward and  can't hang on to bitterness.

"Because I have to understand that being bitter and angry is now going to get me anywhere. You know, who wants to be around a bitter, angry old man? No, no one wants to be around that; that's not fun," he said. "I can't take that around my children and grandchildren, I don't even know them. I'm trying to build a relationship with them; I'm not trying to alienate myself from them."

He said taking care of his two daughters and six grandchildren is his top priority.

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