Post-conviction DNA testing frees Jerry Lee Evans of 1986 Dallas rape
May 28th, 2009 - 1:50 am ICT by John Le Fevre ( Leave a comment )
In 1987 Jerry Lee Evans was convicted of rape and sentenced to life in prison based on eyewitness reports and circumstantial evidence. Today he is expected to become the 20th person in eight years in Dallas County to be exonerated through post-conviction DNA testing.
Like 18 of his fellow exonerates, Evans was convicted based on eyewitness testimony and circumstantial evidence.
At the time of the 1986 rape of an 18-year-old Southern Methodist University student Evans matched the description of the rapist, including having a speech impediment.
However, post-conviction DNA testing has proven Evans was wrongfully convicted. On Tuesday district attorney Craig Watkins said post-conviction tests have proved Jerry Lee Evans is innocent
Last year The Dallas Morning News published a series that showed all but one of the DNA exonerations used faulty eyewitness testimony to convict.
Since it first allowed post-conviction DNA testing in 2001, Dallas County has risen to be the leading jurisdiction in America for the number of exonerations due to DNA testing results.
Forty-seven-year-old Evans, has been behind bars for more than two decades.
- Bombay HC grants actor Shiny Ahuja bail in rape case - Apr 27, 2011
- Court upholds life term for man who raped, killed daughter - Oct 23, 2011
- Brian McKnight Denies that Porn star got raped in his home - Sep 07, 2010
- Nithari killings: Apex court sends Koli to the gallows (Third Lead) - Feb 15, 2011
- Ear-based virginity test helps to free three convicted rapists - Jul 02, 2010
- Court acquits man of rape charge, says victim unreliable - Jun 11, 2010
- Meghalaya women slam Andhra top cop's dress remark - Jan 01, 2012
- I did not kill Kercher: Knox tells court - Oct 03, 2011
- Mukhtaran gangrape accused's acquittal seen as setback to women's rights in Pakistan - Apr 22, 2011
- Former Swedish police chief sentenced to prison for rapes - Jul 30, 2010
- British rapist jailed after 26 years - Jan 29, 2012
- Appeal Trial Of Amanda Knox Commences In Italy, With Her Attorneys Asserting Her Guiltlessness - Nov 25, 2010
- Stage catches fire at Rihanna's show - Jul 10, 2011
- Circumstantial proof must stand on its own feet: Apex court - Jun 15, 2011
- Witnesses likely to 'choose faces they dislike' at ID parades - Sep 13, 2010
Tags: circumstantial evidence, conviction, craig watkins, dallas county, dallas morning news, decades, district attorney, dna testing, eyewitness reports, faulty eyewitness testimony, fellow, jurisdiction, lee evans, life in prison, rape, rapist, southern methodist university, speech impediment
