GOP governor issues stern threat over millions owed to innocent man jailed 45 years

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) is pressuring Richmond city officials to pay $5.8 million owed under a new law to a man who was wrongfully convicted of murder and imprisoned for 45 years.

"Richmond, the state’s capital city, has yet to compensate Marvin Leon Grimm Jr. for a miscarriage of justice that began with his 'coercive' interrogation by local police in 1975," The Washington Post reported. "His ordeal ended in 2024, when Grimm was finally cleared of the abduction, sexual assault and murder of a 3-year-old neighbor."

To get his point across, Youngkin threatened to withhold state funding unless Richmond Mayor Danny Avula compensated Grimm, who "endured the longest wrongful incarceration in Virginia history and the second longest nationwide," according to the Post.

The report noted that the law "empowering Youngkin to withhold funding should the city not pay Grimm took effect July 1."

In a letter to Avula, Youngkin wrote, "The background that led to Mr. Grimm’s wrongful imprisonment is horrific," and he warned he would “'begin to withhold funds otherwise owed to the City' if Richmond does not pay by Aug. 15."

Avula replied he planned to resolve the matter, "but also cited the 'significant' size of the payment," according to the Post.

"A similar scenario is playing out in Norfolk, where city officials have yet to pay Gilbert Merritt III the $2.62 million it owes for its part in a saga that put him behind bars for 20 years for a murder he did not commit," the Post reported, adding, "Youngkin has not been involved in that case."

Earlier this year, the General Assembly passed bills acknowledging the two cases of wrongful incarceration and gave the governor the power to withhold state funding to cities that refused to pay up. Under Virginia law, localities "must at least match whatever compensation the state provides," the report said.

The state paid $5.8 million to Grimm and $2.62 million to Merritt shortly after July 1, when the law took effect.

Read The Washington Post story here.