BIDDEFORD – A man once charged with fatally running over his girlfriend has settled his case against an insurance company over her life insurance benefits.

Murder charges against Raymond Wood, formerly of Waterboro, were dropped in May after a judge ruled that his confession to police was coerced and couldn’t be used as evidence. State prosecutors said they could not prove Wood killed Bessie Selek, 41, without the confession.

Selek was struck by a vehicle as she walked along Route 202 in Lyman on April 20, 1999.

Wood’s defenders said the accident was a hit-and-run, but police and prosecutors blamed Wood for Selek’s death. Witnesses said they saw a truck or a sport-utility vehicle leave the scene.

Wood was the beneficiary of Selek’s life insurance policy.

Joseph Wrobleski, Wood’s lawyer, said a settlement had been reached with Reliance Standard Life Insurance Co., but he would not disclose its terms.

Wood’s suit said that about a year before Selek’s death, the insurance company issued a policy saying it would pay Wood twice Selek’s annual earnings if she died.