Mentally disabled Indiana man wrongfully convicted in slaying reaches $11.7 million settlement

ELKHART, Ind. (AP) — Attorneys for a mentally disabled man who was wrongfully convicted in the slaying of a 94-year-old woman say he has reached an $11.7 million settlement with a northern Indiana city and former police officers. Andrew Royer’s attorneys announced the settlement Friday. Royer spent 16 years in prison after confessing to Helen Sailor’s 2002 killing. A jury convicted Royer of murder in 2005 and he was sentenced to 55 years in prison. Royer’s attorneys argued on appeal that his confession was coerced and that an Elkhart police detective exploited his mental disability. After court rulings in Royer’s favor, the case against him was dismissed.