A woman exonerated last year after spending 17 years behind bars for murder announced Thursday that she had filed a lawsuit accusing an LAPD detective of hiding evidence that showed the case's lead witness was known as a pathological liar.
Susan Mellen was released in October when a judge ruled that she had received “subpar representation” from a trial attorney who failed to adequately investigate the witness’ credibility. The judge later declared Mellen factually innocent of the killing.
The federal lawsuit alleges that Los Angeles Police Department Det. Marcella Winn suppressed evidence from Mellen’s attorneys that would have damaged the credibility of the trial's star witness, knowingly used false evidence and ignored leads that pointed to another suspect.
Mellen, speaking at a news conference outside the Torrance courthouse where she was originally convicted, said the detective's actions robbed her of being a mother to her children for 17 years.
“There’s no amount of money in the universe that can give me back what I lost with my family and my children, the pain and suffering,” she said. “I just want to live my life again.”
Winn did not immediately return a call Thursday seeking comment.
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