The city did not immediately provide more information about the settlement, which was first reported by the Boston Herald.
Charles Stuart’s slaying of his pregnant wife on Oct. 23, 1989, triggered a massive manhunt in Boston’s Black community after Stuart claimed a Black man carjacked him and his wife, forced them to drive to Mission Hill, and shot them. Police swept the area, stopping and frisking Black men and boys. Later, Stuart’s story unraveled and he killed himself.
In December 2023, Wu issued a formal apology to Bennett, Swanson, their families, and “Boston’s entire Black community” at City Hall. In the settlement, Bennett will receive $100,000 and Swanson will receive $50,000.
Swanson could not immediately be reached for comment.
His former lawyer, Leslie Harris, said in an interview that he was pleased the Wu administration paid a settlement but he thought it was not enough considering what both men endured.
“I’m glad that she did that, I just think it’s an awfully small token,” said Harris, a retired judge, who recalled Swanson’s treatment while he was held as a suspect in the killings. “They spat in his food, they beat on his jail cell so he couldn’t sleep. … That trauma stays with you.”
“Willie Bennett,” Harris said, “I can only imagine what he went through.”
Joey Bennett, Willie’s nephew who has previously has acted as a spokesperson for the family, declined to comment Tuesday.
The $100,000 figure Bennett will receive as part of this settlement exceeds what his family has previously gotten from the city.
The Bennetts sued Boston in federal and state courts over how he was treated in the investigation, but after years of legal back and forth the family won just $12,500 — a sum they saw as more insulting than zero. Willie’s mother, Pauline, used some of the money to purchase new church clothes from a discount magazine and died a few months later, still bitter about the outcome.
The six-figure settlement is also smaller than other payouts the city has agreed to in other recent, high profile cases.
Boston paid former city employee Hilani Morales $1 million last summer to settle a lawsuit she filed against the city, alleging former health chief Felix G. Arroyo sexually harassed her in the workplace, and then retaliated when she reported his behavior.
The city also paid $2.4 million to settle a gender discrimination lawsuit with a former high-ranking female police commander early last year. Boston spent more than $2.1 million to settle civil rights and discrimination claims in 2023, in payments ranging from $10,000 to $950,000.
Former Mayor Raymond Flynn, whose administration oversaw the Stuart investigation, did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment.
Flynn has faced criticism that his handling of the crisis, which included putting “every single available detective” on the case, sparked overaggressive police tactics targeting Black men.
Flynn’s son, Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn, would not answer questions about the settlement or his father’s handling of the Stuart case on the record.
Instead, the younger Flynn released a statement that read in part, “I’m proud of Mayor Ray Flynn and his administration for improving race relations in Boston.”
Niki Griswold can be reached at niki.griswold@globe.com. Follow her @nikigriswold. Andrew Ryan can be reached at andrew.ryan@globe.com or via the encrypted messaging app Signal at @andewryan.61
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