Youngkin signs bill giving wrongfully incarcerated Richmond man at least $2.7 million
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- On Monday, Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill that will give at least $2.7 million to a Richmond man whose wrongful incarceration is the longest in Virginia's history.
On Nov. 22, 1975, 3-year-old Christopher Harper went missing, last seen in the woods near his family's apartment in Richmond. The little boy would be found dead four days later, laying face-up in the James River with his hands folded over his chest.
Marvin Grimm -- a Richmond man who lived near Harper's family -- was arrested, ultimately convicted and given a life sentence for Harper's abduction, rape and first-degree murder.
The case largely hinged on Grimm's confession -- which he gave after nine hours of interrogation -- despite the fact that details in said confession did not line up with authorities' understanding of events. Virtually no evidence linked Grimm to the crime.
MORE: Richmond man proven innocent in abduction, rape, murder of 3-year-old nearly 50 years ago
In June 2024, Grimm was proven innocent on all counts. However, by that time, he had already spent over 40 years in prison -- making his wrongful incarceration not only the longest in Virginia's history, but the second-longest across America.
During the 2025 General Session, Del. Richard “Rip” Sullivan, Jr. (D-Fairfax) introduced a bill that would give Grimm financial compensation for this incarceration -- which the bill says encompassed 96% of his expected adult life -- as well as his wrongful addition to the sex offender registry.
"Had Richmond and Commonwealth officials not intentionally withheld exonerating evidence, intentionally mischaracterized evidence, and intentionally and falsely threatened the death penalty which was in fact unavailable, Mr. Grimm would not have been charged with or convicted of these horrific crimes and would not have suffered for nearly five decades with shame, humiliation and loss of liberty as a convicted child rapist and murderer," the bill reads.
This compensation, calculated using Grimm's incarceration and sex offender registration dates, amounts to up to $3,498,289. This breaks down to $2,787,970 in wrongful incarceration relief and $710,319 in wrongful sex offender registration relief.
However, House Bill 1914 -- which Youngkin also signed -- changes the way compensation is calculated for wrongful registration on the sex offender registry. This means the $710,319 figure of Grimm's award is subject to change.
The bill has an effective date of July 1, though its text does not specify when Grimm will receive his compensation.
