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State of Nebraska Settles Lawsuit with 1 of ‘Beatrice 6’

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The state of Nebraska has settled a lawsuit with one of six people wrongly convicted in a 1985 murder.

Lancaster County District Judge Robert Otte agreed Tuesday to a stipulated settlement that will pay $300,000 to Debra Shelden.

Shelden and five others — known as the Beatrice Six — were sent to prison in connection to the death of Helen Wilson. Shelden and two others spent five to six years in prison, while three others spent nearly 20 years locked up.

DNA testing exonerated the six, and a drifter who died in prison was linked to the death.

The Beatrix Six sued for wrongful conviction, and several have been awarded money. Shelden’s case was on hold pending a ruling from the Nebraska Supreme Court.

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