Man Wrongfully Convicted For Murder Reaches $6.4M Settlement With City

NEW YORK (CBSNewYokrk/AP) -- A man whose murder conviction was overturned after he spent 23 years in prison has settled with New York City for $6.4 million.

City Comptroller Scott Stringer's office announced the settlement with David Ranta on Thursday.

In a statement on the office's website, Stringer said the claim had been settled before any litigation and it was "in the best interest of all parties."

Ranta was released last March. He had been convicted in the death of Rabbi Chaskel Werzberger during a botched robbery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in February 1990.

Brooklyn prosecutors had recently concluded Ranta's prosecution in the death was fatally flawed.

Werzberger was getting into his car when the suspect then grabbed him, shot him in the forehead, jumped in Werzberger's car and drove away.

Though no physical evidence linked Ranta to the crime, a jury convicted him based on witness testimony and circumstantial evidence. Ranta fit the wanted man's description of being blond and athletic.

One witness said a police lineup that helped convict Ranta had been rigged.

Ranta's attorney did not reply to an email seeking comment.

Ranta suffered a heart attack on his second day of freedom.

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