Lowell man proven innocent of 1986 murder awarded $13 million, but state law caps payout at $1 million

Pino was fired in 2007 from the MSP crime lab after working as a chemist for more than two decades, the complaint said. He “had allowed the collection of samples not reported by law, reported incomplete results to police, and failed to report DNA database matches to prosecutors until after the statute of limitations for the crimes had elapsed,” according to the complaint.

Sullivan’s motion to retest his clothing was granted in 2011. His jacket tested negative for blood, and McGrath’s DNA wasn’t found. The test comparing the hair to McGrath’s was “inconclusive,” the complaint said.

“Pino simply fabricated evidence,” the complaint said, “evidence which proved to be the difference between guilt and innocence.”