State, Wicomico County To Pay Over Half A Million For Man's Wrongful Conviction

By Danielle J. Brown, Maryland Matters

August 7, 2025

Tavon Tull is set to receive over half a million dollars to make up for almost six years in prison for sexual abuse that he did not commit.

What he won’t get is his lost time.

“Six years were stolen from Mr. Tull,” Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller (D) said at Wednesday’s Board of Public works meeting where the payment was approved. “Years that could have been spent building a future, nurturing a family and contributing his talents to our state. Instead, those years were lost to injustice.”

Miller and other board members approved the payment of $573,412.34 for the 2,121 days Tull spent in prison, along with an additional $9,571.45 in attorney’s fees. Miller said that while there is nothing to replace the time he lost, she hopes the funding will help him rebuild his life.

“In that time, he lost not just his freedom, but so much more. He missed the birth of his daughter and endured the deaths of both his father and uncle. While incarcerated inside, he was ostracized and repeatedly targeted by other inmates,” Miller said.

She was standing in for Gov. Wes Moore (D) who would normally lead the board meetings. Comptroller Brooke Lierman (D) was also absent, represented by Chief Deputy Comptroller Andrew M. Schaufele. State Treasurer Dereck Davis (D) was the only regular board member present Wednesday, although he said he will be absent from the next few meetings for a medical procedure.

Wicomico could be first county to pay part of wrongfully convicted man’s compensation

The board approved the payment to Tull under the Walter Lomax Act, a 2021 law named for a man who was wrongfully convicted of murder and spent nearly four decades in prison. The law calculates compensation for someone wrongfully jailed based on the amount of time served and the state’s median income.

Due to budget language approved this year, Tull’s payment is the first that requires the jurisdiction he was wrongfully charged in – Wicomico County– to pitch in for half of those funds.

In 2019, 23-year-old Tull was sentenced to serve 20 years for the second-degree rape of a child less than 2 years old, along with related charges.

Later evidence and discussion with medical experts “strongly” suggested Tull’s innocence and that the child may have had a medical condition that was mistaken for signs of sexual abuse. After an additional investigation, Wicomico County State’s Attorney Jamie Dykes filed a motion to vacate Tull’s conviction in 2024.

Raven Tull, his sister, said after the meeting that her brother was taking steps to rebuild his life after his time wrongfully incarcerated. While the payment from the state will help him in that process, she said, it won’t “replace the time that he lost.”

“It did traumatize him,” she said.

Wednesday’s payment to Tull was the fourth wrongful conviction payment the state has approved so far this year, bringing the total compensation to $7.1 million and an additional $489,314.45 in attorney’s fees, according to board staff.

“This is why the Walter Lomax Act matters,” Miller said during the meeting. “When the system fails, we have a duty not just to acknowledge the harm, but to right the wrongs and to help rebuild what was lost with dignity, support and truth.”

Miller addressed Tull directly, on behalf of herself, Moore and the rest of the state.

“There are no words to express how deeply sorry I am for what was taken from you,” she said. “While no repayment amount can undo the injustice or make up for what was taken from you, I hope today’s action by this board provides meaningful support for this next chapter in your life.”
From left, Treasurer Dereck Davis, Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller and Chief Deputy Comptroller Andrew Schaufele at Wednesday’s Board of Public Works meeting. (Photo by Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters)

Allegany railroad bridge to get repairs

From left, Treasurer Dereck Davis, Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller and Chief Deputy Comptroller Andrew Schaufele at Wednesday’s Board of Public Works meeting. (Photo by Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters)

Despite Wednesday’s notably short meeting, taking all of 14 minutes to complete, the board ultimately approved 101 items totaling $180.9 million, according to the comptroller’s office.

Of that amount, General Services Secretary Atif Chaudhry highlighted a $1.5 million grant to the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad for infrastructure improvements, including repairs to the North Branch Potomac River Railroad Bridge located in Allegany County.

Wesley Heinz, executive director for the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, said that the grant money represents more than just repairing a bridge.

“What people don’t realize is that $1.5 million is actually an investment on a piece of infrastructure that will support the railroad operation for probably the next 30 to 50 years,” he said.

Memorial for Black Revolutionary War soldiers advances

Miller also highlighted funding for a landscape architecture and engineering contract in support of a new memorial on the State House grounds to honor Black soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War.

Board documents say that at least 150 Maryland African Americans are known to have enlisted and served in the Revolutionary War.

“Just like their white counterparts, the Black Patriots traveled with an army that included free and enslaved women and children who were integral to its functioning. Their contributions have been overlooked in historical narratives,” the documents say. “Their legacy is but one of the omitted chapters in the heritage of early Maryland’s extensive Black community.”

“These are Black patriots who fought for freedom that they were denied,” Miller said. “This memorial is not just about history, it’s about justice long overdue.”