| Lawrence McKinney | Incident Year: 1978 Jurisdiction: TN Charge: First-degree rape, Burglary Conviction: First-degree rape, Burglary Sentence: |
Year of Conviction: 1978 Exoneration Year: 2009 Sentence Served: 31.5 Years Real perpetrator found? Not Yet Contributing Causes: Eyewitness Misidentification Compensation? Not Yet |
The Crime and Investigation
On October 2, 1977, a woman was raped by two men in her apartment in Memphis, Tennessee.
She identified one of the men as 22-year-old Lawrence McKinney, who lived nearby and on October 7, 1977, he was charged with the assault. She also identified another man who lived nearby as participating in the gang rape.
McKinney was convicted in Shelby County Criminal Court on July 22, 1978 after the victim identified him in court as one of her attackers. He was sentenced to 110 years in prison. The other co-defendant also was convicted and sentenced to prison.
Post-Conviction
The law firm of Massey McCluskey represented McKinney in seeking exoneration.
In August 2008, tests of biological stains from the victim’s bed linen revealed a mixture of stains from three people—none of whom was McKinney. The tests identified the DNA profiles of McKinney’s co-defendant and the victim’s profile.
On June 30, 2009, his conviction was vacated and the charges were dismissed. He was released on July 20, 2009.
– Maurice Possley
| Lawrence McKinney | Incident Year: 1978 Jurisdiction: TN Charge: First-degree rape, Burglary Conviction: First-degree rape, Burglary Sentence: |
Year of Conviction: 1978 Exoneration Year: 2009 Sentence Served: 31.5 Years Real perpetrator found? Not Yet Contributing Causes: Eyewitness Misidentification Compensation? Not Yet |