PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — The Central Falls man wrongfully accused of killing a 10-year-old girl more than three decades ago has reached a settlement agreement in his lawsuit against the Pawtucket Police Department. Bill Devine, who's representing Joao Monteiro, confirmed Tuesday that the lawsuit was settled for $1 million, just days before the case was set for trial. Monteiro was arrested in 2019 in connection with the death of Christine Cole. Cole went missing after she left her West Avenue home to pick up groceries in January 1988. Her body was found nearly two months later on the beach at Conimicut Point Park in Warwick. Investigators claimed DNA evidence led them to Monteiro, who reportedly lived in the apartment above the market where Cole was last seen. RELATED: Judge lets wrongful arrest lawsuit in Pawtucket cold case murder stand But charges against Monteiro were dropped seven months later after the DNA evidence was found to be too broad and did not specifically point to Monteiro as the killer. Monteiro filed the lawsuit two years ago, arguing that the evidence was fabricated and suppressed in an attempt to solve the decades-old cold case. His lawsuit named Det. Susan Cormier, the city of Pawtucket and its police department, as well as the R.I. Department of Health and Tamara Wong, the technician who conducted the DNA testing. The lawsuit claimed Monteiro was arrested without probable cause, deprived of his constitutional rights, falsely imprisoned and slandered. Pawtucket and the others named in the lawsuit were dealt a blow last year when U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy opted not to dismiss the case, ruling there was enough evidence for a jury to decide the outcome. MORE: Former suspect in 1988 cold case claims evidence was falsified In her decision, McElroy found critical information was omitted from Monteiro’s arrest warrant, which a jury could find was motivated by "ill will" and not "a neutral desire to discern facts." The missing evidence included the detail that Monteiro didn't live above the market Cole visited until 13 years after her death, and that the victim was reportedly seen walking near where a different suspect frequented. In the wake of his arrest, Monteiro said he was fired from his job of 15 years and became homeless, according to court documents. "Monteiro was living a regular life that was forever altered by Pawtucket police based on a series of mistruths and exaggerations," his other attorney Mark Loevy-Reyes said in a statement. "He will never be able to live a day in peace because of that." "This settlement represents vindication that what happened to him was wrong, though no money can ever make up for what he lost," he continued. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup SIGN UP NOW