opinion

Editorial: A new step in righting a judicial wrong against Craig Coley

It took Craig Richard Coley nearly four decades to clear his name and get out of prison in a Simi Valley double murder case, and less than six months to win state compensation for his wrongful conviction.

The nearly $2 million compensatory award cannot come close to repairing the damage done to Coley’s life or erasing the painful years he wrongly spent in prison, but the relatively quick action by a typically slow state bureaucracy deserves praise.

“I’m 70 years old, but it’s a head start,” Coley said of this month’s award approval, and we wish him the best as he rebuilds his life.

He was pardoned the day before Thanksgiving by Gov. Jerry Brown and released from state prison after being cleared of the Nov. 11, 1978, killings of ex-girlfriend Rhonda Wicht, 24, and her 4-year-old son, Donald Wicht. They were found dead at their Simi Valley apartment.

Coley, a Vietnam veteran, restaurant manager and son of a retired police officer, had never been in trouble, but investigators claimed he was angry and despondent after a breakup with Wicht. His first trial ended in a hung jury, but he was tried again and found guilty in 1980. Prosecutors wanted the death penalty (we editorialized last year that the case shows why we need to dump capital punishment), but the jury decided on life in prison without parole.

Coley maintained his innocence from the start, and at the urging of former detective Mike Bender, Simi Valley police finally reopened the case in 2016 and later cleared him through DNA testing.

Under state law, Coley will get a tax-free $1,958,740 — $140 for each of the 13,991 days he was wrongfully imprisoned. A bill introduced by Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, and signed this month by Gov. Jerry Brown authorizes the distribution.

It’s the largest such award ever in California, but less than it would have been in some other states. Coley will get $51,100 for each of the 38-plus years he spent in prison, but Texas awards $80,000 a year and an annuity set at the same amount. On the other hand, 17 states sadly have no compensation statute at all, according to The Innocence Project, which works to exonerate the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and advocates for criminal justice reform.

“Deprived for years of family and friends and the ability to establish oneself professionally, the nightmare does not end upon release,” The Innocence Project points out. “With no money, housing, transportation, health services or insurance … the punishment lingers long after innocence has been proven. States have a responsibility to restore the lives of the wrongfully convicted to the best of their abilities.”

Marybel Batjer, chairwoman of the California Victim Compensation Board, made similar comments after the panel in February unanimously recommended the $1,958,740 award. “Compensation will not give you back those 38 years of freedom, but I, like your counsel, hope that it will cushion your life and make the wonderful years you have left of your life fruitful for you and your family,” Batjer said.

Coley told The Star that he plans to use the money to buy a house and a car, among other things. “I’ll have a little independence and stop relying on other people to take care of myself. I’ll see friends I haven’t seen for a while.”

The case of Craig Richard Coley left us outraged, confused but ultimately grateful last year that justice was finally being achieved. This month’s compensation award was another important step in righting this judicial wrong.