NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The city of New Orleans has agreed to a $1.5 million settlement with the three children of a woman who was murdered on the orders of a corrupt police officer 24 years ago.
Kim Groves filed an abuse complaint against Len Davis in 1994 after she saw him beat someone. Davis learned of the complaint and arranged for the 32-year-old woman’s murder. The triggerman was Paul “Cool” Hardy. Hardy is serving a life sentence. Davis is facing a federal death sentence.
U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle rejected an appeal from Davis and Hardy last month.
City Attorney Rebecca Dietz issued a statement Wednesday saying the 1994 shooting was part of a “dark and shameful chapter” in New Orleans history.
Groves’ murder was one of a series of scandals that plagued the New Orleans Police Department over decades. At the time of her death, Davis was under federal investigation for his role in protecting drug dealers for money.
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu made reform of the department a top priority when he took office in 2010. A 2012 court-backed agreement with the U.S. Justice Department spelled out numerous reforms in an ongoing effort on which the city has spent an estimated $50 million.
Changes include ongoing efforts to improve training, changes in use-of-force policy and investigations, the use of body-worn cameras and a strengthened Public Integrity Bureau to target police misconduct.
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