Marando Warthen, 62, spent 39 years in state prison after being wrongfully convicted of murder and other charges in 1984. The Board of Public Works on Wednesday approved $3 million in compensation and Gov Wes Moore (D) apologized to Warthen on behalf of the state. (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters)
By Jack Bowman and Sasha Allen
Marando Warthen won an official apology and $3 million in compensation from the state of Maryland on Wednesday, after serving decades in prison for wrongful murder convictions in 1984.
Warthen, who is now 62, will receive claims for his attorney fees along with state-mandated financial compensation. He was 22 when he was initially arrested, and was later sentenced to 103 years in prison.
“Like the governor said, [it’s] a form of recognition of the wrong that I was subject under,” Warthen said Wednesday. “However, it’s a new beginning.”
Warthen filed multiple appeals and petitions throughout his decades of incarceration. His convictions were vacated in the Baltimore City Circuit Court in February 2023 and he was released from a few weeks later, according to the Board of Public Works. Warthen’s award and apology came during a Wednesday meeting of the board, of which Moore is the chair.
Under Maryland law, financial compensation for proven or pardoned wrongful incarceration is determined by the length of time served and the state’s most recent median income. People can also get housing, vocational training and health care.
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Since the start of 2023, a total of eight individuals have been awarded erroneous conviction compensation, including Warthen, according to the board.
Moore said that Warthen’s years in prison were “stolen from Mr. Warthen, depriving him of the opportunity to start a family, to pursue a career, to utilize all of his God-given talents and skills to benefit his community and to benefit our state.”
Moore then addressed Warthen on behalf of himself and the state of Maryland.
“There are no words that can be said or shared to tell you how sorry I am, but also how sorry this entire state is, for the way that our justice system failed you, repeatedly,” Moore said.
Warthen says that the apology from Moore is a meaningful one.
“It really meant a lot,” Warthen said, “because a lot of times with guys that face my same predicament, they never get an apology. And sometimes they’re never awarded any type of compensation.”
– Capital News Service is a student-staffed reporting service operated by the University of Maryland’s Phillip Merrill College of Journalism. Stories are available at the CNS site and may be reprinted as long as credit is given to Capital News Service and, most importantly, to the students who produced the work.