Falsely convicted man up for $570,000 compensation

A man who served 18 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit has been pardoned by North Carolina Governor Mike Easley and could be eligible for US$360,000 ($570,000) in compensation.

Darryl Hunt was twice convicted of the 1984 murder of Deborah Sykes, who was raped and killed as she walked to her job as a copy editor at the Winston-Salem Sentinel.

He was freed after 18 years of a life sentence in prison in December when DNA evidence led police to another man who confessed to the killing and said he acted alone. A judge waived the charges against Hunt in February.