Black Man Wrongly Imprisoned for 21 Years Will Receive $1.3 Million From State of Ohio

The state of Ohio will pay $1.3 million to Ralph Blaine Smith, a 49-year-old Black man who was wrongly imprisoned for more than two decades. 

According to the Columbus Dispatch, the Columbus resident received a 67-year prison sentence in 2000, after he was accused of carrying out an armed robbery in Lancaster. Prosecutors claimed Smith and another Black man broke into a family home occupied by two adults and their children. The man and woman told police the intruders ordered them to open a basement safe that contained valuable items. The alleged victims said the men ended up stealing rare comic books, jewelry, and about $10,000 in cash.

Though there was no evidence that linked Smith to the alleged crime, the man and woman identified him from a series of photos. He was ultimately convicted of aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, and kidnapping along with a firearm specification.

Smith would spend the next 20 years maintaining his innocence and fighting for his freedom. In 2020, he contacted defense attorney Joseph Landusky and shared the details surrounding his controversial conviction.

“When I read about his case and started getting into it, I really believed that a crime didn’t even happen in this case,” Landusky said, per WBNS-TV.

With the help of Landusky, Smith filed a motion for a new trial. He argued his first attorney did not receive evidence that may have proven his innocence. The motion pointed to a handwritten police report that contained “numerous observations expressing skepticism about whether a crime had occurred.” 

“He was sentenced to 67 years in prison for a crime that was not even committed by anyone,” Landusky said. “When first responders showed up, there were no footprints in the snow. It had recently snowed. There was a dog barking right next door when they pulled up, the neighbors said no dog had barked in the last hour.”

In 2021, Fairfield County Prosecutor Kyle Witt declined to pursue a new trial and instead chose to drop all charges against Smith. More than a year after his release, Smith filed a wrongful imprisonment claim against the state, which resulted in the $1.3 million settlement reward. 

Smith said he will split the payout with his legal team and use the rest to support his family.