Jailed 24 years, freed by DNA: Innocence Project key to exoneration in Louisiana rape case

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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]