× You've used up your 3 free articles for this month. Subscribe today.

Arkansas Trooper Mistakes Mentally Disabled Man for Fugitive and Kills Him; Deceased's Family Paid $1 Million

Loaded on Aug. 15, 2008

Filed under: Police Misconduct, Crime/Demographics, Crime, Police--Excessive Force, Excessive Force (Police). Location: Arkansas.

Former Arkansas State Trooper Larry Norman pled guilty to a charge of misdemeanor negligent homicide after killing mentally disabled Joseph Erin Hamley. Norman had mistaken Hamley, 21, for an escaped fugitive, and shot and killed him. Hamley's family was paid $1 million by the state as compensation.

Several police officers …

Full article and associated cases available to subscribers.

As a digital subscriber to Prison Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content.

Subscribe today

Already a subscriber? Login

More from these topics:

Michigan Claws Back $1.2 Million Paid to Wrongfully Convicted Former Prisoner, Feb. 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Imprisonment, Qualified Immunity, Forensic Sciences, Fabrication of Evidence.
Illinois Supreme Court Announces Six-Element Jeffries Test Governs Self-Defense Jury Instructions in Cases Involving Force Against Police Officers, Rejecting Appellate Court Approaches That Either Created Separate Threshold Inquiry or Automatically Requir, Feb. 1, 2026. Excessive Force (Police), Abuse of Discretion Standard, Jury Instructions in Jury Room, Plain/Harmless Error, Factual Disputes/Findings.
Utah Supreme Court Announces Framework for Analyzing Combined Brady and Napue Violations, Affirms Postconviction Relief in Capital Murder Case, Jan. 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Perjury/Perjured Testimony, Constructive/Imputed/Presumed knowledge, Brady/Giglio/Jencks Act Issues.
Ohio Sheriff Agrees to Outside Probe in Investigation of Jailed Double Amputee’s Death, Dec. 1, 2025. Jail Misconduct, Disabled Prisoners, Restraints, Police--Excessive Force, Police/Govt Misconduct.
Sixth Circuit Upholds $45 Million Verdict for  Wrongfully Convicted Former Ohio Prisoner, Aug. 1, 2025. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment.
Two Exonerated Illinois Prisoners Win Settlements  Totaling $14.5 Million, Aug. 1, 2025. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment.
Fourth Circuit Revives Wrongful Conviction Claim of Exonerated Maryland Prisoner, State Pays Him $3.1 Million, Aug. 1, 2025. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment.
News in Brief, Aug. 1, 2025. Assault by Police, Misconduct/Corruption, Guard Misconduct, Police Misconduct, Stun Guns/Tasers, Immigration, False Arrest, Evidence - Integrity/Reliability of.
Beyond the City Limits: How Rural Sheriff’s Departments  Are Driving the Spike in Police Killings, Aug. 1, 2025. Excessive Force, Shootings, Police--Excessive Force, Excessive Force (Police).
Arkansas Ex-Police Chief Known as “Devil in the Ozarks”  Re-Captured After Prison Escape, July 15, 2025. Police Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Escapes.