Tim Cole’s Father Seeks Half of Cole’s Estate

Tim Cole was the first Texas prison inmate to be posthumously exonerated by DNA testing after he was wrongfully convicted of rape. As part of the exoneration, Cole’s family was awarded $1.1 million for Cole’s wrongful imprisonment. Now, Ernest J. Kennard, the long-estranged father of Cole, has come forward to claim half of Cole’s estate. A court order directing Cole’s estate to be shared with Cole’s mother has been suspended pending a review of Cole’s will. Cole’s mother has claimed she plans to sue Kennard for back child support in the event he is awarded any compensation.

See Tim Cole’s Father Shows Up and Wants Half of His Late Son’s $1.1 Million Estate, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Dec. 23, 2011.