Convicted Felons Get Cases Reviewed For DNA, Possible Exoneration
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Thousands of convicted murderers and rapists from across Minnesota had their cases reviewed for possible exoneration.
It was part of a study funded by the Department of Justice to study convictions between 1982 and 1999, prior to when modern DNA testing was commonly used in criminal trials.
The goal of the study was to determine if DNA testing not available at the time of their trials, could free them of a wrongful conviction.
Analysts studied some 14,177 cases in every Minnesota county to see if DNA could be a determining factor in overturning a conviction. The three-year study was led by the Hennepin County Attorney's office.
But of all those convictions dating back to the early 1980's, only 21 defendants agreed to further DNA testing.
Since 1999, DNA analysis has been the gold standard in murder and rape cases, the so called, "smoking gun" that can help prove guilt or innocence.
"We acknowledge that prosecutors are human, we make mistakes," Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said.
So to see if mistakes were made, Freeman says the team reviewed over 14-thousand murder and rape convictions between 1982 and 1999 where modern DNA science wasn't used.
"The advantage of DNA is that it is unemotional. It is unbiased. It either matches or it doesn't," Freeman said.
But what started with thousands of cases came down to just 21 cases where a defendant agreed to DNA testing. It was inconclusive in 11 of the cases, but confirmed a conviction in eight others.
"What this study shows is that the new DNA technology did not result in any exonerations, which we're pleased about," Freeman said.
Of the two remaining cases, one is that of convicted serial killer, Billy Glaze. Though he died last year while still in prison, the Innocence Project is still working to get his conviction overturned and believes DNA evidence from the review will do that.
"It's a great tragedy that Billy Glaze died in prison after serving 28 years for a crime he didn't commit, that he has been proven innocent and now the court needs to do its work," Innocence Project Legal Director Julie Jonas said.
A Hennepin County district judge will soon make that ruling.
