SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — She was convicted of murdering her husband in 2001, but new DNA evidence led to her conviction being overturned in 2020 after twenty years in prison.
In February 2000, Jane Dorotik reported her husband, Robert, missing after he went out for a jog. His body was found bludgeoned in a wooded area near their Valley Center.
Dorotik was arrested and convicted in 2001 of killing her husband. Prosecutors at the time said she killed him because she would have to pay him 40% of her income in case of a divorce.
After a judge reversed her original conviction, a jury trial was granted, but prosecutors filed a motion to dismiss in 2022.
Now 79, she has settled her lawsuit against San Diego County for $500,000 — far less than the $20 million she had hoped to receive.
“This whole time, you never wavered from your innocence?" ABC 10News anchor Melissa Mecija asked Dorotik during a recent interview after the settlement was finalized.
"Never. Never," she said.
Dorotik now lives in Florida with her daughter and son-in-law.
"San Diego DA's office knew about all of these problems they had in their lab, with their so-called blood spatter expert. They let it go forward and they misrepresented a lot of information they withheld other information,” Dorotik said. “Where's the accountability for them?"
The Loyola Project for the Innocent that took her case in 2015. The lawyers said DNA testing revealed new evidence including another person's DNA found under Robert Dorotik's fingernails.
"The level of trust that you lose in prison about many things, stays with me … generally, that all things are right has been most definitely shaken," Dorotik said.
Dorotik sued the county and ended up settling for about $500,000, which was far less than the $20 million she hoped to receive. She said the original amount she was requested was comparable to others who spent years in prison for wrongful convictions.
"It was my decision to make it end, and I needed to do that for peace of mind and for my health. I've had some heart problems that I can't help but believe are related to all of the stress,” Dorotik said.
She was worried that prosecutors would try to attempt a third criminal trial.
A district attorney spokesperson said they were not a named defendant in the civil lawsuit "and in the county's settling of the matter, there were absolutely no admissions of wrongdoing by the district attorney."
The spokesperson said there were no findings of prosecutorial misconduct in the case.
“It is important to emphasize that the allegations contained in that lawsuit are just that — allegations — and should not be reported or interpreted as established facts,” the emailed statement said.
Dorotik said she now helps other women in prison. She also focuses on spending time with her family. One of her sons passed away a few years ago. The other, she doesn't have a relationship with anymore.
Right now, she said she's trying to enjoy whatever time she has left.
"I do absolutely treasure every day and treasure the warmth and love I feel from my daughter and son-in-law here in Florida," Dorotik said.
Both of Dorotik’s sons testified against her during the trial. One of her sons died a few years ago. She does not have a relationship with her other son.
The sheriff's office told ABC 10News the case will be reviewed by the sheriff's Homicide Cold Case Unit.
Dorotik said without LMU's Project for the Innocent, she doesn't know where she would be. According to its website, it has exonerated 20 people who collectively served 490 years in prison for crimes they didn't commit.
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