Elvis Brooks spent 42 years in prison for a fatal bar shooting he says he did not commit, and after a court threw out his conviction, Louisiana law made him eligible for up to $480,000 in compensation. But Attorney General Liz Murrill is fighting to block the payout, asserting in court filings that Brooks remains guilty.
Brooks, now 69, was arrested in New Orleans in 1977 and has maintained his innocence ever since, insisting police had the wrong man. His conviction was overturned after nearly 45 years when a prosecutor admitted failing to turn over key fingerprint evidence. The case is pending before a district court judge in New Orleans, with attorneys scheduled for another hearing.
What the Left Is Saying
Brooks said he felt anger and disbelief when he learned Murrill was opposing his claim five months after he filed it. "She knows people are innocent but she doesn't care," Brooks told ProPublica and Verite News. "She wouldn't want nobody to do this to one of her loved ones."
Civil rights attorneys describe Brooks' case as among the most egregious wrongful convictions in recent years, noting that Murrill has also pushed since September 2024 to reinstate a manslaughter charge against him. Jeffrey Gutman, a George Washington University Law School professor emeritus and national expert on compensation funds, said: "I can't think of an attorney general who has been quite as aggressive in trying to prevent people from getting compensation."
What the Right Is Saying
Murrill declined interview requests through her spokesperson and did not answer questions about her opposition. In court filings she argues Brooks is still guilty and therefore should receive no money at all, and she has asked the court to reject his claim.
Both Murrill and Gov. Jeff Landry have made their views on the compensation fund clear in recent legislative sessions. Murrill told lawmakers last year that defending these claims consumes an enormous amount of time and resources and that the fund should be abolished altogether. In June, Landry vetoed a bill passed unanimously by the Republican-controlled Legislature that would have increased payments to the wrongfully convicted; his veto statement painted many exonerees as "convicted criminals" whose only interest is money.
What the Numbers Show
Since taking office two years ago, Murrill has opposed all but one of 23 compensation claims brought by people whose convictions were vacated by courts — including exonerations based on DNA and blood evidence. Landry, during his eight-year tenure as attorney general, opposed 10 of 12 claims. His more moderate Republican predecessor Buddy Caldwell, who served from 2008 to 2015, opposed about 33% of all claims.
Louisiana law says the compensation process should take no more than five months, but Murrill's opposition can drag it out for years. Brooks is eligible for up to $480,000 under a program created by state lawmakers in a state with one of the highest rates of overturned guilty verdicts.
The Bottom Line
The claims are ultimately decided by individual district court judges whose approaches vary, so Murrill's opposition does not guarantee denial — but it ensures lengthy delays and financial hardship for exonerees. Brooks' case remains pending, and its outcome could signal how Louisiana handles wrongful conviction compensation going forward as both the governor and attorney general continue to call for eliminating the fund.