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Darrell Edwards update: judge delays decision
Posted: July 30, 2008 5:40 pm
At a hearing yesterday in New Jersey, Innocence Project attorneys argued that DNA test results and other important new evidence constitute strong proof that Darrell Edwards did not commit the 1995 Newark murder for which he is serving life in prison.
"I think the more the case is reviewed the more clear it becomes that Darrell Edwards didn't do the crime," said Vanessa Potkin, an attorney for the Innocence Project, which has used DNA to free scores of convicts around the country.Read yesterday’s Innocence Project press release here.
Read the full story here. (Newark Star-Ledger, 07/30/08)
Tags: Darrell Edwards
Philadelphia editorial: Give Darrell Edwards a new trial
Posted: August 11, 2008 4:00 pm
Innocence Project client Darrell Edwards has served nearly a decade in New Jersey prison for a murder he has always said he didn’t commit. DNA testing and other substantial new evidence shows that he’s telling the truth, but prosecutors have refused to grant him a new trial.
After two mistrials and a hung jury, Edwards was convicted of a Newark shooting murder at his fourth trial in 1999 and sentenced to life in prison. Eyewitnesses told police after the crime they saw Edwards flee the crime scene and dispose of a sweatshirt and gun. DNA testing on those items has revealed male profiles that do not match Edwards, and new statements from the key crime scene witness show that she was “just guessing” in her identification of Edwards. New scientific research confirms that one witness could not have possibly recognized Edwards from 271 feet, the distance from which she said she saw him. The Innocence Project sought a new trial for Edwards at a July 29 hearing, and the judge requested further filings before Edwards’ appeal could be considered.
An editorial in yesterday’s Philadelphia Inquirer calls for the judge to grant Edwards a new trial so the facts of his case can be heard.
It happens too often. Innocent people are convicted and spend years in prison because of faulty eyewitness identification, sloppy or improper police work, and the lack of DNA testing.
Take the case of Darrell Edwards. He was convicted of murder in a New Jersey state court in 1999 - after four trials and the acquittal of a co-defendant. Four bites at the apple is a good indication that prosecutors had a shaky case from the start. Now, new evidence has emerged that raises the possibility that Evans was wrongfully convicted - or worse, may have been railroaded. Edwards' attorneys at the Innocence Project are seeking a fifth trial. He deserves it.
Read the full article here. (Philadelphia Inquirer, 08/10/08)
Tags: Darrell Edwards
New Jersey Judge Denies New Trial; Innocence Project Will Appeal
Posted: December 5, 2008 5:50 pm
A New Jersey judge yesterday denied Innocence Project client Darrell Edwards a new trial despite DNA test results and other strong evidence proving his innocence. The Innocence Project plans to appeal the decision on his behalf.
Edwards was convicted of a 1995 Newark, New Jersey, murder he has always said he didn’t commit. DNA testing was completed in 2007 on a sweatshirt allegedly worn by the perpetrator and the gun used in the murder. A major male profile and two minor profiles were developed from skin cells and sweat left behind on the items, and none of these profiles matched Edwards.
Additional new evidence uncovered by the Innocence Project strongly points to Edwards’ innocence. One of the state’s two main eyewitnesses testified at Edwards’ trial that she had seen him run away from the crime scene and dispose of the gun and sweatshirt. She said she saw the man at night, from a porch 271 feet away. Since trial, she has recanted her identification, saying she was “just guessing” and that she had been influenced by police officers. She also said she was high on heroin, drinking alcohol and was not wearing her prescription eyeglasses.
In addition, new scientific evidence presented to the judge by the Innocence Project proves that facial identification of an acquaintance is not possible from 150 feet in daylight – let alone identifying a stranger from 271 feet at night. See the image above for a representation of a person’s face at 20 feet and 100 feet.
Edwards' primary lawyer from the Innocence Project, Vanessa Potkin, said Casale was wrong and she planned to appeal.Read more about Edwards’ case here.
"The evidence shows that he was wrongfully convicted and he's entitled to a new trial," she said. "The totality of the evidence points to Darrell Edwards' innocence and that the crime was actually committed by someone else."
Read the full story here. (Newark Star Ledger, 12/05/08)
Tags: New Jersey, Darrell Edwards