MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. – A Montgomery County man is continuing his fight for justice after being wrongfully convicted of a sex crime he didn’t commit.
10 News first introduced viewers to David Kingrea back in September, after he received compensation from the Virginia General Assembly for the one year he wrongfully spent in jail.
[RELATED: Montgomery Co. man gets $55k after being wrongfully convicted of crime, but for him, it’s not enough]
Now, a year later, he is continuing his fight to be compensated for the eight years he wrongfully spent on the Virginia Sex Offender Registry.
David’s story first began when he was found guilty of taking indecent liberties with a child in 2014. David maintained his innocence.
In 2022, David was exonerated by a writ of actual innocence.
Per Virginia law, David received $55,000 in compensation for the one year he wrongfully spent in jail.
There is no law for compensation for someone who wrongfully served time on the Virginia Sex Offender Registry.
“Eight years of not being able to go to a school, being scared to open a door for a child. You can’t do anything. It’s really no different than being in jail,” said David.
Delegate Rip Sullivan is sponsoring the bill to compensate David and people like him who wrongfully spent time on the Virginia Sex Offender Registry.
Proposed H.B. 640 would award people $30,000 for each year.
Proposed H.B. 641 would award David that same compensation package.
“If the bill you just passed, were to pass the General Assembly, it would entitle him to payment for I think the eight years he spent on the sexual offender registry,” said Sullivan.
These two bills are very similar to a bill that failed last year.
So far, both H.B. 640 and 641 have already made it further in General Assembly subcommittees than last year’s.
This year, even David is testifying before legislatures.
“I guess I am a victim. But I get to stand up and take care and take the lead of other victims of these unfortunate circumstances,” he said.