91.5 Chapel Hill 88.9 Manteo 90.9 Rocky Mount 91.1 Welcome 91.9 Fayetteville 90.5 Buxton 94.1 Lumberton 99.9 Southern Pines 89.9 Chadbourn

NC Man Dies 7 Years After He's Found Innocent, Released

@DukeInnocence

A North Carolina man who was released from prison after serving 17 years for a murder he didn't commit has died.

The co-director of Duke University's Wrongful Convictions Clinic confirmed that LaMonte Armstrong died Thursday. Co-director Theresa Newman said in email to The Associated Press on Monday that the 69-year-old Armstrong was a "terrifically warm, funny, loving friend."

She said he died of pancreatic cancer.

The clinic uncovered evidence that resulted in Armstrong's release in 2012. He had been convicted the 1988 killing of North Carolina A&T State University professor Ernestine Compton.

In 2013, Armstrong was issued a state "pardon of innocence" and paid $750,000. He later won $6.42 million from the city of Greensboro.

A funeral will be held Tuesday at Ebenezer United Church of Christ in Burlington.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.
More Stories
  1. Pardoned 30 years after a wrongful conviction, Howard Dudley reflects on what he lost
  2. Exonerated Members Of 'Central Park Five' To Speak At Duke
  3. Innocence Project, Judge Express Outrage Over Botched Prosecution of Durham, NC Man
  4. NC Appeals Judge's Order For A New Trial Two Decades Into Darryl Howard's Prison Sentence
  5. After Innocence: Wrongfully Convicted Inmate Escaped Prison, Finally Exonerated