home

DNA Clears Conn. Man After 20 Years in Prison

By Jeralyn, Section Innocence Cases
Posted on Thu Apr 02, 2009 at 12:41:34 PM EST
Tags: (all tags)
Share This: Digg! StumbleUpon del.icio.us reddit reddit

Miguel Roman served 20 years of a 60 year sentence for killing his girlfriend. Recent DNA tests proved him innocent and charges have been dismissed.

The DNA tests also led to the charging of another man in the murder:

The same DNA tests that exonerated Roman implicated led police in December to charge another man, Pedro Miranda of New Britain. He is accused in the killings of Lopez, 16-year-old Rosa Valentin in 1986 and 13-year-old Mayra Cruz in 1987. Miranda, 51, faces the possibility of the death penalty if convicted.

DNA not only frees the innocent, it also helps locate and convict the true perpetrator.

< Judge Rules Bagram Detainees Can Challenge Confinement | House Judiciary Committee Hearing on Fraud: We Don't Need More Laws >

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

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


    • Display: Sort:
    DNA Clears Conn. Man After 20 Years in Prison | 2 comments (2 topical)

    Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment

    Take everyone's DNA--use stimulus money (2.00 / 1) (#1)
    by diogenes on Thu Apr 02, 2009 at 08:35:38 PM EST
    1.  Wouldn't it free a lot of innocent people if everyone's DNA were on file?
    2.  Since there is DNA on the Miranda guy I guess he qualifies for the death penalty even by Maryland standards.  


    i note that the article states (none / 0) (#2)
    by cpinva on Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 06:11:16 AM EST
    he was convicted, based on circumstancial evidence,

    and despite testimony from an FBI investigator about tests that eliminated him as a suspect.

    all of which causes me to wonder exactly what led the jury to convict him in the first place? did they think the FBI investigator was lying about the results of the tests?

    as well, shouldn't the existence and results of those tests have given the prosecution pause? or were they under just such enormous pressure to try someone, they just ignored all scientific evidence that was contrary to their position?

    DNA Clears Conn. Man After 20 Years in Prison | 2 comments (2 topical)

    Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment