Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Falsely Accused Texans Await Reparations

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By theGrio

About 40 former Texas inmates cleared by DNA evidence are looking forward to a big payday on September 1st.

Texas leads the nation in DNA exonerations. According to The Innocence Project - a legal organization that handles these cases - 241 prisoners have been cleared nationwide in the past 20 years. Thirty-eight were convicted in Texas. Now, the state is trying to make up for their lost time.

The last time Jerry Evans was in a courtroom was 23 years ago when a jury sentenced him to life in prison for sexual assault. But this summer DNA evidence cleared him.

"Had these test results been available at the time of the trial, you would not have been convicted in this case," the judge said at his exoneration hearing.

Evans walked out of prison a free man - cleared of any wrongdoing.

"Now that I look back at it," said Evans, "I wonder now how in the hell I did 23 years in prison."

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