For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy noticeAn innocent man who spent 38 years behind bars in California was awarded $25 million in what his lawyers called the largest wrongful conviction settlement in state history. “No amount of money could ever restore the 38 years of my life that were stolen from me,” Hastings said in a statement. Hastings sought DNA testing of that evidence in 2000, but at that time, the DA’s office denied the request. In 2023, a California judge ruled that Hastings was “factually innocent,” which means the evidence proves conclusively that Hastings did not commit the crime.