Man spends 17 years in jail for lookalike's crime. Now, he's suing for $1.1 million

Richard Jones was behind bars for a crime he never committed. Now, he wants to make sure he is monetarily compensated for the precious time lost.

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He was sentenced to 19 years in prison for a crime he never committed. His fault? Richard Jones looked similar to the man who did commit the crime of attempting to snatch a woman's purse. The revelation of the two men with similar looks may have finally set Jones free but he is now suing the police department in Kansas for $1.1 million.

It was 1999 when Jones was found guilty of having attempted to snatch a woman's purse but managing to take only her phone instead. Washington Post reported that the victim and the witnesses both pinned the blame on Jones after he was brought in for identification based on a sketchy description of the accused. A year later, he was convicted and sent to prison despite Jones maintaining he had not left his house all day when the incident took place.

It was in prison and only after several years that his fellow inmates in prison told him they knew of a man who looked similar to him. The case was reopened when the matter was brought to the notice of authorities that a certain Ricky Amos may be Jones' doppelganger.

Jones was eventually released two years before his time in prison would officially end and although he has missed valuable years he could have seen his two children grow, freedom still means something extraordinary. If he wins the lawsuit against the police department, the money could be the icing.