$13.2M Award for Man Railroaded by Police

David Ayers spent 11 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit

CLEVELAND, Ohio—A federal jury awarded $13.2 million to a former housing authority security officer Friday after finding two Cleveland detectives fabricated or withheld evidence at his 2000 murder trial.

David Ayers, 56, who spent 11 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit, and several jurors wept as the verdict against detectives Denise Kovach and Michael Cipo was read in U.S. District Court.

"These detectives didn't do their jobs at all," juror Stephanie Kocian told The Plain Dealer in an interview. "They manipulated the evidence, and didn't look at anyone else except the most convenient suspect to convict. The word 'railroaded' was thrown around the jury room during deliberations."