Compensation hearing under way for man who was wrongfully imprisoned

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The man who sought to save himself from prison by falsely testifiying that William Dillon told him about a Brevard County murder in 1981 apologized and shook hands today with Dillon -- who publicly forgave him.

"My life was easy to throw away," Dillon said after a four-hour session at the Division of Administrative Hearings, where lawyers for the Florida Legislature are considering compensation for the 27 years Dillon spent in prison before his exoneration by DNA evidence last year.

Dillon testified about being gang-raped by five men within an hour after his arrival in prison and said he lost half the teeth on each side of his jaws because of poor medical care in prison. He said he has mental flashbacks and is seeking psychological help in dealing with his experiences.

Dillon is seeking $1.35 million under a bill filed by state Sen. Mike Haridopolos, R-Melbourne, and state Rep. John Legg, R-Port Richey, in the 2010 legislative session. DOAH hearing officer Bram Caster, representing the Senate, and House attorney Tom Thomas will make recommendations on the level of compensation Dillon should receive.

Roger Dean Chapman, who was facing an aggravated sexual-battery charge, said Brevard County investigators coached his testimony and offered him freedom in exchange for railroading Dillon. Chapman, who has a long record of incarceration, said he told sheriff's deputy Thom Fair that Dillon denied any involvement in the slaying but that Fair told him to gather information against him.

In a later interview, Chapman said, Fair sat on one side of him and an unidentified officer sat on his other side with a notebook during a recorded interview. Fair asked questions and the other officer wrote desired answers on the pad, Chapman said, and he parrotted the testimony they wanted to frame Dillon.

Department of Corrections records indicate Chapman got out of Liberty Correctional Institution on Oct. 22, after a two-year sentence for methamphetamine possession. Talbot "Sandy" D'Alemberte, Dillon's lead lawyer, said volunteers from the Innocence Project of Florida -- who got Dillon released last year with DNA evidence -- asked Chapman for an affidavit, but he wanted to come to the hearing and personally apologize to the man whom he helped send to prison.

"I'm very sorry," Chapman said to Dillon at the end of his testimony.

"I know you were used," Dillon replied, seated with his lawyers. "I know they pressured you."

Chapman shook Dillon's hand as he stepped down from the witness stand. Canter called a recess and the two men met briefly in the lobby of the DOAH hearing complex.

"I just want you to know, I understand," said Dillon.

"They put everybody on the spot," said Chapman.

"I understand, believe me," Dillon replied.

In summation, D'Alemberte asked Canter and Thomas to consider the case of another wrongly convicted Brevard man, Wilton Dedge, who was awarded $2 million by the Legisalture for 22 years in prison. He said Dillon deserved at least as much, if not more, for his 27 years behind bars.

D'Alembertea former American Bar Association president and former dean of the Florida State University law school, said there was widespread prosecutorial misconduct in Dillon's case. It might not have met the legal definition of misconduct, D'Alemberte said, but tactics used against Dillon included use of a totally discreditted dog handler, a woman who changed her story after having sexual relations with an investigator, deals with jailhouse snitches and withholding of exculpatory evidence.