DNA evidence may clear Honduran man sentenced to death in Florida

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

DNA evidence may clear Honduran man sentenced to death in Florida
Reuters By Barbara Liston | Reuters – 12 hrs ago.

By Barbara Liston

SANFORD (Reuters) - Lawyers seeking to overturn the murder conviction of a Honduran man who has been on Florida's death row since 2006 presented new DNA and blood stain evidence in a Florida court on Tuesday.

Clemente Aguirre-Jarquin, 33, was convicted in the 2004 murders of his neighbors at a Seminole County trailer park. Cheryl Williams, 47, was stabbed 129 times, and her mother, Carol Bareis, 69, was stabbed twice.

Blood stain expert Barie Goetz testified Tuesday that the killer would have been splattered with blood spurting from 131 stab wounds from a 10-inch knife at close range. Goetz said the blood found on the thigh area of Aguirre's shorts were contact stains and matched Aguirre's claim that he found the bodies and rolled them over to check for a pulse.

"The wearer of those shorts did not inflict the injuries to Cheryl Williams," said Goetz, a Pennsylvania-based forensic consultant. Goetz also testified that Aguirre's bloody shoe prints at the scene indicated careful walking around the bodies.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/dna-evidence-may-clear-honduran-man-sentenced-death-220832226.html

[msanthrope]

1. I think there's enough here for a retrial at least, if not outright

exoneration.

[harmonicon]

2. If we don't keep killing prisoners, how are we supposed to keep the respect of the Saudi...

government/royal family? Killing people for kicks is an ancient and noble occupation.

[dbackjon]

3. Arizona may have to free one of it's death row inmates

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/story/22176601/2013/05/06/debra-milkes-conviction

A 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has denied Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne's petition to reconsider a lower court's decision to toss out the conviction of Debra Milke.

Milke was convicted and sentenced to death in the 1989 killing of her 4-year-old son -- but her conviction was tossed out last month.

Prosecutors failed to disclose the lead detective, who claimed he obtained a confession from Milke, had past misconduct issues.

Attorney General Horne says he will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
...