ST. JOHN'S -- After almost 14 years -- six of them spent in a maximum-security prison -- the death of his former girlfriend, his brother's betrayal, and a long battle with drugs, Randy Druken finally received some good news yesterday.

The St. John's native was awarded $2.1-million in compensation and an apology from the government of Newfoundland and Labrador for his wrongful murder conviction in 1993.

"I was expecting more, and had I fought it, I would have gotten more," Mr. Druken said yesterday. "But then again, we're taking from the province, aren't we? It's 14 years of fighting these same people. It does get exhausting, it's headaches after headaches, you know?"

Mr. Druken was found guilty in the June, 1993, stabbing of Brenda Young, a case based largely on information given to police by an informant, who later retracted his story.

The compensation award follows the release last June of a report into the case. That report was as a result of a three-year public inquiry, headed by the former chief justice of the Supreme Court, Antonio Lamer. Mr. Lamer was charged with examining the wrongful murder convictions of Mr. Druken, Gregory Parsons and Ronald Dalton.

Mr. Lamer blasted the Newfoundland justice system for "tunnel vision" and, in Mr. Druken's case, stated he found "no reliable evidence" for the prosecution.

Mr. Parsons was awarded a total of $1.3-million in compensation, while Mr. Dalton is still in negotiations.

Newfoundland Justice Minister Tom Marshall said Mr. Druken's compensation was determined through lengthy negotiations and was similar to that received by others wrongfully convicted across Canada.

"The lawyers looked at the findings of Antonio Lamer and acknowledged the prosecution should not have occurred, and looked at the range of compensation that had been paid to others in Canada, and they came to an agreement," he said.

The province is not legally obligated to make the payment. Mr. Marshall said that Newfoundland and Labrador is "doing this because it's the right thing to do. We've reached the amount, and in return there's a release given."

The minister said he has apologized to Mr. Druken on the province's behalf.

"I certainly hope this brings closure for him," he said.

Mr. Druken hopes so too, saying he just wants a fresh start. Mr. Druken has been in the public eye since his arrest in August of 1993. Two of his brothers, Paul and Gerry, died from drug overdoses; his oldest brother, Derek, was murdered in a 1999 shooting.

A year ago, Mr. Druken was in jail, serving a six-month sentence for forging drug prescriptions. Halfway through the sentence, a 27-year-old nephew fatally overdosed in Mr. Druken's home.

Mr. Druken said he has been on methadone since June and had been addicted to opiates and OxyContin for years.

"You'd rob clothes, anything, to sell for the oxys," Mr. Druken said. "So here it is now, I'm past all this, there's no charges on my file. If I had my time back, I would have gotten out of it years ago.

Mr. Druken lives with his current girlfriend and her three children and plans to celebrate his compensation award with hamburgers and a few balloons for the children.

He said he intends to use a portion of the $2.1-million to get into real estate and buy some rental properties. He's also considering going back to school, and wants to help young offenders -- especially those serving time for drug-related crimes -- get back on track.

"You can't put a dollar amount on what I been through," Mr. Druken said.

"I'm not worried about myself any more. But I worry about my family. Maybe they can do a few things they want to do, too."