Maurice Hastings: Man spent 38 years in prison, wrongfully convicted of rape and murder of Roberta Wydermyer

CONTENT WARNING: SEXUAL ASSAULT

A man who spent 38 years in prison after he was wrongfully convicted of rape and murder has received a record payout.

Maurice Hastings, 72, was arrested in 1983 for the carjacking, rape and murder of Roberta Wydermyer and the attempted murder of Billy Wydermyer and his friend George Pinson.

Though Mr Hastings maintained his innocence, he was handed a life sentence without parole, serving scores of lonely years behind bars in California.

After a long legal battle, DNA evidence and fresh testimony proved his innocence, and he was exonerated by a California Superior Court in 2023. On Monday, Mr Hastings accepted a record award of $37 million from the city of Inglewood.

Kenneth Packnett, a convicted sex offender with a long history of criminal behaviour that had strong similarities to the Wydermyer case, was ultimately found to be the true culprit.

But it took decades of tireless advocacy to prove this truth, and condemn the police officers responsible for targeting Mr Hastings, despite clear evidence that he was innocent.

Following his exoneration, Mr Hastings proceeded to sue two Inglewood police detectives and the estate of an LA County district attorney’s employee before the city settled.

The national civil rights law firm which represented him, Neufeld, Scheck, Brustin, Hoffman & Freudenberger, said the settlement was the largest in Californian history.

The firm said Mr Hastings is now living a quiet life in Southern California where he is involved in a church and delivers meals to people experiencing homelessness through a volunteering program.

“No amount of money could ever restore the 38 years of my life that were stolen from me,” Mr Hastings said in a statement from the firm.

“But this settlement is a welcome end to a very long road, and I look forward to moving on with my life. I thank God that I’ve made it to the other side of this decades-long ordeal, and I thank my family and legal team for their steadfast support over the years.”

The lawsuit sought to demonstrate that a detective on the case, Grant Price, had falsified evidence to establish Mr Hastings’ guilt.

Mr Price had “buried evidence corroborating (Mr Hastings’) alibi” which resulted in him “single-handedly framing an innocent man”, according to the firm.

The firm said Mr Price had fixated on Mr Hastings, and “pinned the crimes on him” despite there being no physical or forensic evidence connecting him with the vile acts, and instead, substantial evidence supporting his innocence.

“Price coerced eyewitnesses to identify Hastings, suppressed exonerating alibi evidence, and falsified witness statements. Shockingly, in this litigation, Price even admitted that he buried critical evidence that would have supported Hastings’s innocence,” the firm said.

It was DNA evidence which cleared Mr Hastings, and revealed the identity of the true offender, Packnett.

The killer had been taken into custody for an unrelated car theft soon after he committed the horrific sexual assault and murder.

When police arrested him, Packnett had jewellery and a coin purse that matched those which Ms Wydermyer had in her possession when she was murdered. He also had the same gun that was used to shoot her.

Despite this, Mr Price and other officers did not investigate him, and he was released a short while later.

The new DNA evidence and a corroborating testimony from Packnett’s ex-girlfriend proved that he was responsible.

If you or someone you know needs help, contact 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), or Sexual Assault Counselling Australia on 1800 211 028.