Jailed 24 years, freed by DNA: Innocence Project key to exoneration in Louisiana rape case
Wednesday, March 9, 2005 at 05:30AM
TheSpook
In May 1981, when Michael Williams was
16, a jury here rejected his claim of innocence, deliberating for less
than an hour before convicting him of the savage beating and sexual
assault of his math tutor. Arrested, tried and convicted in just three
months, Williams was sentenced to hard labor for life with no
possibility for parole and dispatched to the Louisiana State
Penitentiary in Angola, one of the nation's most notorious and deadly
prisons. At times the institution lived up to its reputation. In one
incident, Williams said, he was stabbed 16 times. Now, nearly 24 years
after his arrest, independent DNA tests by three laboratories,
including the Louisiana state crime lab, show what Williams has long
contended: He is not the man who committed the crime. DNA tests on
genetic evidence found on the victim's nightgown and sheets produced a
male profile different from Williams' profile. Williams will be the
159th person to be exonerated by DNA, according to the Innocence
Project, a non-profit group that investigates suspected wrongful
convictions. Walter May, the district attorney in Jonesboro, said "we are in the process of reaching a mutually agreeable
method for securing his release from incarceration . . . on March 11,"
he said. In January, Williams, his wrists and ankles shackled, was
brought from Angola to the courthouse in Jonesboro so Jackson Parish
sheriff's deputies could swab his mouth to obtain DNA for the state
crime lab's tests. Afterward, Williams said: "I'm glad it's finally
coming to this point. All these years, I knew I wasn't the one. I
believe there is a power greater than me and that has been helping me
all these years, keeping me together." [more]
Racial Break Down of Defendants Freed by DNA Evidence?
Q: What is the racial breakdown of individuals who have been wrongfully convicted and later freed by that Innocence Project ?
A: As of January, 156 prisoners
had been exonerated through post-conviction DNA testing by the
Innocence Project and other individuals and organizations, said Martha
Kashickey, spokeswoman for The Innocence Project, which is based in New
York. Specifics aren't available for those prisoners exonerated solely
by her organization, she said. Of the
156, Kashickey said 60.26 percent were African-American; 25 percent
Caucasian; 9.62 percent Latino; and 5.13 percent "unknown."
These statistics refer only to DNA exonerations. "This doesn't count
the many innocent people who have been exonerated through other
evidence or legal means," Kashickey said. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution February 28, 2005
- Pictured
above: Dennis Brown, who was proven innocent with DNA evidence after
serving 19 years in prison on a false rape charge. [more] and Stephan Cowans, who was incarcerated for 6.5 years on an assualt charge before being exonerated. [more]
- The Innocence Project [here]
Article originally appeared on (http://brownwatch.com/).
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