home

DNA Testing Frees Another Innocent Inmate

By TChris, Section Innocence Cases
Posted on Wed Aug 27, 2008 at 11:53:50 AM EST
Tags: (all tags)
Share This: Digg! StumbleUpon del.icio.us reddit reddit

After losing 18 years of his life, Robert McClendon walked free yesterday. McClendon had been convicted of raping a 10 year old girl. A new DNA analysis of semen stains in the victim's underwear did not match McClendon's DNA profile.

< Video Cameras Seized From Visiting Journalists in Mpls | Wednesday Afternoon Open Thread >

  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


    • Display: Sort:
    DNA Testing Frees Another Innocent Inmate | 16 comments (16 topical)

    Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment

    Another jury (none / 0) (#1)
    by eric on Wed Aug 27, 2008 at 12:10:08 PM EST
    gets it wrong.  I wonder how those twelve people are sleeping tonight.

    Why blame it on the jury? (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by Emma on Wed Aug 27, 2008 at 12:42:59 PM EST
    They worked with what they had.  Poor judgment by the prosecutor or poor conduct by the police is probably more likely.

    Parent
    Well I certainly blame (none / 0) (#6)
    by eric on Wed Aug 27, 2008 at 01:29:28 PM EST
    the prosecutor, don't get me wrong.  But I can't help but think about the jury doing such a terrible thing, even if by accident.  

    Parent
    Oh, I get it (none / 0) (#13)
    by Emma on Wed Aug 27, 2008 at 03:30:07 PM EST
    Thanks for the clarification.

    I, too, feel badly for a jury that convicts and innocent person.  That is not what any honest jury sets out to do.

    Parent

    some probably dont care (none / 0) (#2)
    by progrocks on Wed Aug 27, 2008 at 12:23:51 PM EST
    they probably think they did their job and got a black man off the streets for 18 years.

    some probably are deeply troubled though

    Parent

    The Ohio Innocence Project (none / 0) (#3)
    by Desired User Name on Wed Aug 27, 2008 at 12:25:27 PM EST
    I just read the article. Hey T is there a GENERAL
    charity that we can donate to? I'd not like to donate to a specific State but to a fund that spreads the donations. A national "innocence projec."  I think this is a cause I need to contribute to. Especially now that I no longer donate to the Dems.

    Forgive me if this is information I could have looked up...I ask because I think you might have a better line of information than a random Google search.

    Here it is. (none / 0) (#8)
    by TChris on Wed Aug 27, 2008 at 02:19:26 PM EST
    Innocence Project - click "donate"

    Parent
    I thought it only for OHIO (none / 0) (#10)
    by Desired User Name on Wed Aug 27, 2008 at 03:12:41 PM EST
    "We work on cases in all 50 states of the U.S. "

    Okay, thanks! But do realize that sometimes us DoGooders need a GOOD spoon feeding.
    I'll be contributing and that's for certain!
    Cheers.

    Parent

    LINK (none / 0) (#11)
    by Desired User Name on Wed Aug 27, 2008 at 03:14:51 PM EST
    I hate to be pesky but why not post that link whenever discussing these cases? I am sure that more than "just me" would be willing to dip into our pockets. And considering how many of us have lost faith and hidden our wallets during this election, well...good time to post charity links!

    Parent
    Different from Ohio (none / 0) (#14)
    by TChris on Wed Aug 27, 2008 at 03:53:28 PM EST
    Many states have their own innocence projects, including Ohio.  The link is for the original Innocence Project that handles cases nationwide.

    Parent
    Let's see if they can get it right the second time (none / 0) (#5)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Aug 27, 2008 at 01:17:12 PM EST
    The prosecutor said that his office has turned its focus to finding out who actually raped the girl. The judge set a hearing for Aug. 26 to discuss how to move forward.

    The sperm samples collected from the victim's underwear have not yet been put in the national database of DNA collected from criminals, the prosecutor said.

    In Ohio, there's generally a 20-year deadline on charging somebody with rape, which means the real attacker likely still could be prosecuted, said Sharon L. Davies, an Ohio State University law professor.
    with all this freeing of death-row fodder (none / 0) (#7)
    by pluege on Wed Aug 27, 2008 at 01:30:58 PM EST
    look for the wingnuts very soon to start going after the science of DNA analysis. Like evolution and global warning, we can't be letting science stand in the way of wingnut faith in the guilt of those that aren't them, nor their right to the thrill of state sponsored murder.

    I don't think anybody will go there.... (none / 0) (#9)
    by kdog on Wed Aug 27, 2008 at 02:37:24 PM EST
    considering how many people are convicted because of DNA evidence...poking holes in the science when a convicted man is exonerated may bring untold prosecutions into question.

    I often wonder how accurate all this dna stuff is...I don't doubt the science so much as the humans putting it into practice.

    Parent

    Despite the DNA (none / 0) (#12)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Aug 27, 2008 at 03:20:14 PM EST
    OJ went free...

    Parent
    It wasn't despite the DNA... (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by Romberry on Wed Aug 27, 2008 at 08:02:14 PM EST
    ...that OJ went free. It was because of sloppy forensic practices, potential cross contamination, and (mostly) because of lying cops like Mark Furman and Phillip 'I'll walk around for a few hours with this vial of blood in my pocket' Vannatter who apparently decided to construct an airtight case by framing a guilty man.

    OJ Simpson was in my mind no doubt the murderer in this case, yet because of the sloppy work of the crime lab and because of the corrupt and racist cops, the verdict returned by the jury was correct.

    Parent

    Alarming (none / 0) (#15)
    by koshembos on Wed Aug 27, 2008 at 04:23:30 PM EST
    The rate in which at which jailed individuals are exonerated indicates that our justice system is highly unjust. Police and prosecutors should undergo training across the board; it cannot continue this way.

    DNA Testing Frees Another Innocent Inmate | 16 comments (16 topical)

    Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment