Richmond taking ‘next steps’ to pay wrongfully incarcerated man $5.8 million after governor’s order
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Richmond officials said they are "moving forward with the next steps" towards awarding the wrongfully-incarcerated Marvin Grimm the millions of dollars he is owed.
This comes after Gov. Glenn Youngkin ordered the city to act, accusing it of having "ignored" its responsibility to the man whose decades behind bars amount to Virginia's longest wrongful incarceration to date.
Marvin Grimm was convicted of the abduction, rape and first-degree murder of 3-year-old Christopher Harper of Richmond, who was found dead in the James River on Nov. 26, 1975.
After pleading guilty to avoid the death penalty in 1976, Grimm was sentenced to life in prison -- which he served more than four decades of before being released on parole in 2019.
Decades later, in mid-2024, Grimm was exonerated of the crime after modern forensics, as well as a deep review of the case, proved him innocent.
His attorneys described this as a victory, but a "bittersweet" one, as Grimm had already spent those 44 years -- an estimated 96% of his expected adult life -- behind bars at that point.
A bill awarding him financial compensation for this extensive wrongful incarceration -- which legislators noted is the longest in Virginia history and the second-longest nationwide -- was signed into law by Youngkin in late March.
However, Grimm has yet to receive the about $5.8 million sum Richmond owes him, according to a July 25 letter obtained by 8News. This total is a match for the money that the General Assembly awarded Grimm, meaning Grimm is meant to ultimately receive about $11.6 million.
In that letter, Youngkin ordered Mayor Danny Avula to fulfill Richmond's obligation to Grimm, accusing the city of having "ignored" this responsibility. According to Youngkin, Grimm's attorneys told him that, as of that date, the city had not confirmed that it would pay Grimm nor agreed to discuss the matter.
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Youngkin said state funding would be withheld from Richmond if it continued to not comply.
The city declined to comment on this news when 8News reached out on July 28, only saying it was "reviewing the contents of the Governor's letter."
On Friday, Aug. 1, the city issued a press release saying that it was "moving forward with the next steps" towards paying Grimm.
“My Chief Administrative Officer has been working to identify appropriate funding sources, and we will move swiftly," Avula said in the release. "What Mr. Grimm endured was unconscionable. While nothing can restore the decades of life Mr. Grimm lost, we are committed to addressing this injustice.”
A special meeting of Richmond City Council will reportedly be held in August to "formally introduce an ordinance" on this.
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“Restitution is a major step towards justice,” said Richmond City Council president Cynthia Newbille in the release. “This action represents our commitment to upholding the law and is a necessary part of the healing process. It is a tragedy that this occurred in the first place, and it is my fervent hope that Mr. Grimm will be able to find the peace and support he deserves.”
The exact date of this meeting was not specified in the release and, as of the time of reporting, a related calendar entry does not appear to be listed on the city's website.
