CHICAGO — The city of Chicago has been ordered by a federal jury to pay $120 million to two men after they spent 16 years in prison each due to a wrongful conviction of murder. The award is the highest amount recorded in Chicago’s history.

John Fulton and Anthony Mitchell were arrested in connection with the murder and kidnapping of an 18-year-old man in 2003, however there was no physical evidence that tied the two to the crime. Fulton was 18, and Mitchell was 17 at the time of the murder. They testified in court that they confessed to the murder after Chicago police threatened them with physical violence and promised to be lenient.

They were convicted of first-degree murder and kidnapping in 2006. The two were sentenced to 31 years in prison, but a Cook County judge overturned their convictions and they were released in 2019. The judge also ordered a new trial, but prosecutors dropped the charges.

On Monday, the jury awarded Fulton and Mitchell $60 million each, reported WTTW News.

A spokesperson for the Chicago Department of Law reportedly said the verdict will be appealed.

A $22 million award was the most expensive wrongful conviction verdict in Chicago history, which happened in 2021, after a man convicted of a double murder and sentenced to death was exonerated.

More on the wrongful conviction and $120 million award.