LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The state treasurer has asked for guidance on whether Gage County can borrow money from Nebraska to pay off the $28.1 million judgment owed in a case in which six people were wrongfully convicted in the 1985 rape and murder of a Beatrice woman.

The so-called Beatrice Six sued Gage County for violating their civil rights. Together, they spent a combined 77 years in prison in the rape and killing of Helen Wilson.

A jury awarded the $28.1 million, plus attorneys’ fees, to the six people in July.

State treasurer Don Stenberg recently asked the attorney general whether Nebraska is obligated to make a low-interest loan to the county, which hasn’t taken any steps to the pay the judgment, since the verdict was in federal court.

A spokeswoman says the attorney general will provide an answer on the matter as soon as possible.