BUFFALO, N.Y. — Valentino Dixon, who served 27 years in prison for a murder that he did not commit is now suing the City of Buffalo, Erie County, former Assistant District Attorney Christopher Belling, and multiple members of the Buffalo Police department.
A civil suit filed on December 16 alleges that the "Buffalo Police Department detectives and Assistant District Attorney Christopher Belling committed egregious misconduct to fabricate a case against Mr. Dixon, causing him to be convicted of a crime he did not commit."
The suit also alleges that the case against him was built partly on "coercion to induce three witnesses to falsely identify him as the shooter, even though he looked nothing like the true shooter."
Dixon was convicted in the murder of Torriano Jackson in 1991, and spent 27 years in the New York State prison system for it.
Since his release from prison in 2018, Dixon has been vocal about his support for sentencing reform in the justice system.
"We have some of the worst sentencing laws in the world, very harsh, excessive, extreme, and it violates the eighth amendment to the Constitution against cruel and unusual punishment. This is why we have over 2 million people incarcerated because they are not releasing anybody," Dixon told 2 On Your Side during a September interview.
"We had sort of a wild west show really in the Buffalo Police Department. They had targeted Valentino Dixon because they believed him, probably correctly at that point, to be an up and coming drug dealer, and they were gonna do whatever they had to do to get him off the street," said Dixon's Attorney Donald Thompson.
"The allegation here is that the police officers were coercive in trying to get individuals to change their testimony at the trial to fool the jury who is supposed to the the ultimate backstop to make sure that people get fair trials, that a jury hears all the truthful evidence and then makes a decision," says attorney Barry Covert, who is not involved with the case.
The lawsuit could result in a payout to Dixon, and taxpayers will be on the hook.
"You're looking anywhere between $400,000 to a million dollars per year of wrongful incarceration. So, this could be quite an expensive tab for the taxpayers to pay," added Covert.
Dixon's attorney says there's no amount of money that could replace 27 years of Dixon's life, a life Dixon is now living to the fullest.
"He's got other art shows scheduled, he's got artwork that's been commissioned, he's got a YouTube interview program that he's working on, he's got a hundred things going on. So, he's just enjoying being free," said Thompson.
Covert says cases like this typically end in a settlement or trial. and usually take two to five years.
City of Buffalo spokesperson Mike DeGeorge issued a statement in response to the civil lawsuit saying, "The recently filed lawsuit of Mr. Dixon has now been served on the City of Buffalo. The City will have no comment on this matter while the litigation is pending."