--- title: HR 130. Moore, Mr. Sedrick; compensate collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr130 cite_as: HR 130, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr130 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr130.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr130/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69781 date: 2025-04-04 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr129.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr131.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 235 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr130.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 130 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-03 last_action: House Withdrawn, Recommitted sponsors: - Omari Crawford text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR130/2025 upstream_id: 1953038 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - wrongful conviction compensation - criminal justice - DNA evidence - state compensation resolution --- # HR 130. Moore, Mr. Sedrick; compensate ## Text 25 LC 60 0059 House Resolution 130 By: Representative Crawford of the 89th A RESOLUTION Compensating Mr. Sedrick Moore; and for other purposes.1 WHEREAS, on the night of February 15, 1993, three men broke int o a Colquitt County,2 Georgia, home where they robbed and sexually assaulted a woman at gunpoint; and3 WHEREAS, the victim was only able to identify one of the three perpetrators, Mr. Tyrone4 White; and5 WHEREAS, during his interview with police, Mr. White implicated Mr. Sedrick Moore and6 Mr. Kerry Robinson as the two other perpetrators; and7 WHEREAS, over six years after the incident, Mr. Moore was arrested in connection with the8 incident and charged, along with Mr. Robinson, with rape and ot her offenses related to9 robbery and possession of a firearm; and10 WHEREAS, Mr. White made a deal with the State for a more lenient sentence in exchange11 for his testimony against Mr. Moore and Mr. Robinson; and12 WHEREAS, both Mr. Moore and Mr. Robinson were tried at the same time; and13 H. R. 130 - 1 - 25 LC 60 0059 WHEREAS, at trial, despite giving several inconsistent statements to the police regarding14 the incident, Mr. White's testimony was the primary evidence ag ainst Mr. Moore and Mr.15 Robinson; and16 WHEREAS, the only other evidence against Mr. Moore and Mr. Robinson was a statement17 from Mr. Johnny Brown, III, a neighbor of the victim, placing M r. Moore in the area that18 night and testimony from a DNA expert that DNA from a sexual assault exam performed on19 the victim on the night of the incident matched Mr. Moore's and Mr. Robinson's DNA; and20 WHEREAS, on February 26, 2002, a jury convicted Mr. Moore of one count of rape, three21 counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a cr ime, one count of armed22 robbery, and one count of burglary, and Mr. Moore was sentenced to 50 years' imprisonment;23 and24 WHEREAS, both Mr. Moore and Mr. Robinson maintained their innoc ence and pursued25 appeals of their convictions; and26 WHEREAS, in 2018, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation began using a new DNA testing27 method and Mr. Robinson sought new DNA testing as further post-conviction relief; and28 WHEREAS, the new DNA testing revealed that testimony by the Sta te's DNA expert29 regarding the DNA from the victim's sexual assault exam was incorrect and did not support30 a valid DNA match to Mr. Robinson or Mr. Moore; and31 WHEREAS, based on this new DNA evidence, Mr. Robinson filed an Extraordinary Motion32 for New Trial (EMNT) and was ultimately exonerated on January 8 , 2020, after the State33 declined to further prosecute his case; and34 H. R. 130 - 2 - 25 LC 60 0059 WHEREAS, Mr. Moore subsequently filed an EMNT and, on May 12, 2 023, a Colquitt35 County Superior Court Judge granted Mr. Moore's EMNT, after finding, among other things,36 that the testimony of Mr. White and the victim "barely resembled each other"; Mr. Brown37 had picked Mr. Moore out of a photo lineup, but had indicated at that time that he was not38 sure that Mr. Moore was the same person he had seen; and both the State and Mr. Moore had39 agreed that the DNA expert's testimony and results produced at trial were wrong and should40 not be considered; and41 WHEREAS, on August 28, 2023, the State moved for entry of an or der of nolle prosequi,42 which a Colquitt County Superior Court Judge granted, thereby dismissing all charges and43 officially exonerating Mr. Moore after more than 21 years of wrongful imprisonment by the44 State of Georgia; and45 WHEREAS, the conviction, incarceration, and subsequent loss of liberty and other damages46 suffered by Mr. Moore occurred through no fault or negligence o n his part, and it is only47 fitting, just, and proper that he be compensated for his losses.48 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF49 GEORGIA that the Department of Administrative Services is authorized and directed to pay50 the sum of $1,691,280.00 to Mr. Sedrick Moore as compensation as provided above. Said51 sum shall be paid from funds appropriated to or available to th e Department of52 Administrative Services and shall be paid subject to the provisions of this resolution. After53 an initial payment of $558,122.40, the remainder of said sum shall be paid immediately into54 a commercial annuity account bearing interest at the prevailing market rate, payable in equal55 monthly installments over ten years beginning in 2026 with interest payable to Mr. Sedrick56 Moore. The State of Georgia shall be entitled to a credit equal to the amount it pays under57 this resolution should Mr. Sedrick Moore recover damages as a result of a lawsuit against any58 H. R. 130 - 3 - 25 LC 60 0059 state official or employee acting in an official capacity whose tort liability for wrongful59 conviction arises from the same circumstances as described herein, less any attorney's fees60 or costs Mr. Sedrick Moore paid in obtaining those damages. Sh ould Mr. Sedrick Moore61 recover damages totaling less than the amount the State of Geor gia pays under this62 resolution, the State of Georgia shall be entitled to a partial credit no greater than the amount63 of damages Mr. Sedrick Moore recovers, less any attorney's fees or costs Mr. Sedrick Moore64 paid in obtaining those damages. Upon the death of Mr. Sedrick Moore, all payments and65 all obligations of the State of Georgia regarding any and all future payments with respect to66 the annuity shall continue to be made to his estate or heirs.67 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that any amount received by Mr. Sedrick Moore pursuant68 to this resolution sh all be excluded from his taxable net incom e for state income tax69 purposes.70 H. R. 130 - 4 - ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution would direct the state to pay Sedrick Moore $1,691,280 for his wrongful conviction and 21-year imprisonment for a 1993 Colquitt County rape and robbery he did not commit. ### Plain-language summary This resolution addresses the case of Sedrick Moore, who was convicted in 2002 of rape, armed robbery, burglary, and firearm possession in a 1993 Colquitt County home invasion. Years later, new DNA testing showed the trial testimony linking Moore's DNA to the crime was incorrect. A Colquitt County Superior Court judge granted him a new trial in 2023, and the state then dropped all charges, exonerating him after more than 21 years in prison. The resolution directs the Department of Administrative Services to pay Moore $1,691,280.00 in compensation. An initial payment of $558,122.40 would be made, with the rest placed in a commercial annuity paying interest and disbursed in equal monthly installments over ten years starting in 2026. The state would get a credit against this payment if Moore later wins a lawsuit over the same wrongful conviction, and any payments would continue to his estate or heirs if he dies. The money would not count as taxable state income. ### What it does - Directs the Department of Administrative Services to pay Sedrick Moore a total of $1,691,280.00 as compensation for his wrongful conviction and imprisonment. - Requires an initial payment of $558,122.40, with the remaining balance placed into an interest-bearing commercial annuity paid out monthly over ten years starting in 2026. - Gives the State of Georgia a credit against this payment (full or partial) if Moore later recovers damages in a lawsuit over the same wrongful conviction, minus his attorney's fees and costs. - Requires that any remaining annuity payments continue to Moore's estate or heirs if he dies before the ten-year period ends. - Exempts any money Moore receives under this resolution from Georgia state income tax. ### Who it affects This resolution directly affects Sedrick Moore, who was wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for over 21 years, and the Department of Administrative Services, which is directed to make the payments. It also touches the Georgia state budget and any future legal claims Moore might bring against state officials. ### Why it matters If passed, Moore would receive over $1.6 million in state compensation for more than two decades of wrongful imprisonment stemming from a conviction later overturned due to flawed DNA testimony. The payment structure and tax exemption determine how and when he actually receives the money. ### Key provisions - The preamble recounts Moore's 1993 arrest, 2002 conviction, and 21 years of imprisonment before new DNA testing in 2018 undermined the trial evidence against him. - States that a Colquitt County Superior Court judge granted Moore's Extraordinary Motion for New Trial in 2023 after finding the DNA testimony used at trial was wrong. - The resolving clause sets the total compensation at $1,691,280.00, with an initial payment of $558,122.40 and the rest placed in a ten-year annuity beginning in 2026. - Gives the state a credit against this payment if Moore recovers damages from a separate lawsuit over the same wrongful conviction. - Provides that payments continue to Moore's estate or heirs if he dies during the payment period. - Excludes the compensation from Moore's taxable net income for Georgia state income tax purposes. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-02-03) - Last action: House Withdrawn, Recommitted (2025-04-04) - Sponsors: Omari Crawford - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69781 > The history, votes, and amendments (235 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr130.md?full=1