Man who spent 19 years in jail after wrongful conviction found dead


A man awarded $3.7 million after spending 19 years in prison for a rape he didn’t commit was found dead Saturday, the medical examiner’s office confirmed.

Thomas Doswell was freed from prison in 2005 after spending more than 19 years in jail. He was exonerated after DNA evidence proved he didn’t commit the rape that occurred in 1986.

The medical examiner did not release a cause of death.

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Despite his release from prison and ensuing lawsuit, Doswell found himself in trouble with the law again in 2013 after pleading guilty to charges of possessing marijuana, crack cocaine and a gun.

He was sentenced last year to 11 1/2 to 23 months in the county jail for those charges.

Doswell reached the $3.7 million settlement with the city of Pittsburgh in 2009 after his wrongful imprisonment.