Man set to be 17th exonerated by DNA in Dallas County

[madmusic]

Illegally withheld evidence probably caused a man who will be exonerated today to spend more time behind bars than anyone in the country cleared by DNA, the Dallas County district attorney's office and the Innocence Project of Texas said Monday.

James Lee Woodard is expected to be released today by state District Judge Mark Stoltz and become the 17th man exonerated by DNA in Dallas County, which has more DNA exonerations than any other county in the nation.

Mr. Woodard, 55, was sentenced to life in prison in 1981 for the strangulation and rape of his 21-year-old girlfriend, Beverly Ann Jones.

But information that Ms. Jones was with three men – including two later convicted of unrelated sexual assaults – around the time of her death was not disclosed to the defense nor was it thoroughly investigated, said prosecutor Mike Ware, who oversees the Dallas County district attorney's office conviction integrity unit.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-exonerate_29met.ART.State.Edition2.4613068.html

[lonestarnot]

1. so after 26 or 27 years, somebody decided to check out his story. How nice of them. Is he too

crippled up to stamp out plates or wha?

[RB TexLa]

2. He had asked over and over

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3220778&mesg_id=3220778

[madmusic]

3. Only 3 votes?

Why is that not a surprise?

[lonestarnot]

5. slow traffic, but I am not surprised either.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. Innocence Project is a good one...

I used to know someone who had a friend who'd been imprisoned on a false rape charge...

And he was released due to the efforts of this group...

Someone to fight for the little guy...

Good news!