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DNA Testing Leads to New Trial in Florida
Posted: November 17, 2008 1:55 pm
William Dillon, who has served 27 years in Florida prison for a murder he has always said he didn’t commit, will get a new trial. Dillon, along with his attorneys and the Innocence Project of Florida, obtained DNA testing on a bloody T-shirt from the crime scene that was used to convict him. The DNA profiles developed from evidence on the T-shirt matched the victim and other unidentified individuals, but excluded Dillon. A judge threw out Dillon’s conviction on Friday and a bond hearing is set for Tuesday.
"We are just exhilarated. It's a new chapter now," said Dillon's brother, Joe, of Palm Bay. "The whole family is really excited."Read more on the Innocence Project of Florida website.
Read the full story here. (Orlando Sentinel, 11/15/08)
Tags: William Dillon
After 27 Years, Florida Man Walks Out of Prison
Posted: November 19, 2008 2:20 pm
After serving 27 years in Florida prison for a murder he says he didn’t commit, William Dillon was freed last night in Florida on bond after a judge ordered a new trial in his case. He will wear an electronic monitoring bracelet and may face another trial in the case.
The Innocence Project of Florida has worked on the case with Dillon’s lawyers, who say DNA testing on a T-shirt from the crime scene proves Dillon’s innocence. We’ll post updates here on the Innocence Blog as the case develops.
“Well I’ll tell you what, we didn't think we'd be living to see him come home,” said Amy Dillon, William’s mother. Dillon said he's not at all bitter about spending a large portion of his life in prison.Dillon's conviction was based partly on the testimony of dog handler John Preston, a retired Pennsylvania State Trooper whose methods have since been discredited. Preston was also involved in the wrongful conviction of Wilton Dedge, an Innocence Project client who served 22 years in prison before he was exonerated by DNA testing in 2004.
"I'm not going to sit here and dwell on anything that's missed or passed or anything. I'm just going to move ahead right now from this day forward," Dillon said.Watch video of Dillon’s release and press conference. (Channel 13, Central Florida)
Tags: Wilton Dedge, William Dillon
Prosecutors Drop Charges in Florida Case, 27 Years Later
Posted: December 11, 2008 12:45 pm
William Dillon was freed from Florida prison last month after serving 27 years for a murder he has always said he didn’t commit. DNA testing secured by the Innocence Project of Florida and Dillon’s public defender proved that biological evidence from another person was on a bloody T-shirt used against Dillon at his trial.
Dillon’s conviction rested on other highly questionable evidence, including testimony of a dog handler who was also involved in the wrongful conviction of Wilton Dedge, an Innocence Project client who was exonerated in the same county in 2004.
Mike Pirolo, Dillon's public defender, described Wednesday's development as bittersweet.Read more on the Innocence Project of Florida blog.
"Sweet that justice was done and he's a free man," he said. "Bitter that 27 years of his life was taken away that he'll never get back."
Read the full story here. (Associated Press, 12/10/08)
More coverage:
Exonerated Wilton Dedge Inspired Dillon (Florida Today, 11/20/08)
Video of Dillon’s release from prison (WFTV)
The Innocence Project is currently reviewing Dillon’s case for possible inclusion in our database of DNA exonerations in the United States.
Tags: Florida, William Dillon
A Dog’s Role in Wrongful Convictions
Posted: December 16, 2008 4:52 pm
Last week, Florida prosecutors dropped all charges against William Dillon, who spent 27 years in prison for a murder he has always said he didn’t commit. DNA test results and other evidence point to Dillon’s innocence in the 1981 murder, and among the evidence used to convict him was a tracking dog and its handler, both also involved in the wrongful conviction of Innocence Project client Wilton Dedge.
John Preston, the dog handler who testified that his dog connected Dillon to the crime scene in this murder, was discredited by a Florida state judge in 1984. The Arizona Supreme Court has called him a “charlatan.” In the wake of Dillon’s release, the Innocence Project of Florida is calling on Florida Gov. Charlie Crist to launch an investigation into every case on which Preston worked.
An editorial in the Orlando Sentinel yesterday agrees:
Given the circumstances, it's hard to conceive that Mr. Crist would not act. Messrs. Dedge and Dillon are walking, breathing examples of a decades-old injustice. The governor cannot tolerate the idea that this stink might linger over other cases.
Read more:
Florida Today, 12/12/08: Defender demands investigation of Brevard Attorney’s Office
Tags: Wilton Dedge, William Dillon