What to Know
- The city of Philadelphia will pay more than $9.1 million to Walter Ogrod, a man who spent 28 years behind bars after being wrongfully convicted of murdering 4-year-old Barbara Jean Horn.
- Ogrod lived across the street from Horn’s family at the time of her murder. He was arrested four years later in 1992 after police said he confessed to killing her. Ogrod’s first trial ended in a mistrial in 1993 while he was convicted and sentenced to death in a second trial in 1996.
- In 2018, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office Conviction Integrity Unit took another look at Ogrod’s case. They determined Ogrod was not the killer and instead came up with two potential suspects.
The city of Philadelphia will pay more than $9 million to a man who spent 28 years behind bars after being wrongfully convicted of murdering 4-year-old Barbara Jean Horn.
On July 12, 1988, Horn disappeared from her front yard in Philadelphia’s Castor Gardens neighborhood. A few hours later, her body was found stuffed in a cardboard TV box only a few blocks away from her home.
Walter Ogrod lived across the street from Horn’s family at the time of her murder. He was arrested four years later in 1992 after police said he confessed to killing her. Ogrod’s first trial ended in a mistrial in 1993 while he was convicted and sentenced to death in a second trial in 1996.
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In 2018, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office Conviction Integrity Unit took another look at Ogrod’s case. They determined Ogrod was not the killer and instead came up with two potential suspects.
In 2020, Ogrod was released from prison after his conviction was overturned.
The murder of Barbara Jean Horn
Ogrod then filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Philadelphia in 2021, accusing the city of wrongful prosecution and the detectives involved in his case of framing him.
On Thursday, the city reached a settlement in which they denied all wrongdoing while Ogrod, now 59-years-old, received $9.1 million from Philadelphia taxpayers.
“This litigation was a long and hard-fought battle that resulted in a significant settlement that will give Walter Ogrod the economic support he needs as he continues re-establishing his life,” Ogrod’s lawyer, Joe Marrone, wrote in a statement. “He remains optimistic about his future and is committed to fighting for his fellow inmates who have also been wrongfully convicted.”
A spokesperson for the city also issued a statement on the settlement.
“The City remains committed to transparency in the pursuit of justice,” the spokesperson wrote. “Although the City’s settlement is not a finding of wrongdoing by any party, the City recognizes the pain and burden to all parties that continued litigation of this lawsuit would bring. The City hopes that this resolution can be a just result for all those affected, and our hearts remain with the family of Barbara Jean Horn as they continue to seek justice for their loved one.”
Judy Rubino, the prosecutor in Ogrod’s second trial, told NBC10 that she was not happy the city settled and hoped the case would go to trial.
Ogrod was surrounded by other exonerees on Monday as he spoke about the settlement.
"So many innocent people in jail right now," Ogrod said.
Ogrod said he wants to help other wrongfully convicted people recover once they're released from prison.
"I'd also like to, with this money, help people when they come out to buy a building fixed up and have a place for them to stay," he said. "Because most of the people after 20, 30, 40 years have no family left. They got no place to go."
Ogrod’s settlement is the third highest in the city’s history, behind the $9.8 million that Anthony Wright and Chester Hollman were both rewarded in their settlements.
