Legislature advances bill to help pay Beatrice 6 judgment

The Legislature gave first-round approval Thursday to a measure that would help Gage County pay a $28.1 million judgment to six individuals wrongly convicted of a 1985 murder.

Advanced with a veto-proof 35 votes, the bill (LB103) from Sen. Myron Dorn would help Gage County satisfy its debt.

During his introduction, Dorn offered a public apology to Ada JoAnn Taylor, Thomas Winslow, James Dean, Kathleen Gonzalez, Debra Shelden and Joseph White — the so-called Beatrice 6.

Together, the six spent a combined 75 years in prison after they were convicted in the cold-case murder of Helen Wilson. DNA evidence later proved the six were not involved in the crime, and they later sued Gage County, winning a federal jury trial in 2016.

Read more: https://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/legislature-advances-bill-to-help-pay-beatrice-6-judgment/article_3e227af4-3f9f-503b-9585-52806ab93f02.html
(Lincoln Journal Star)