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Friday Roundup: Cases in Motion
Posted: February 27, 2009 5:30 pm
A North Carolina judge denied prisoner Ronnie Long access to a new trial for a 1976 rape he has always maintained he didn’t commit. The North Carolina Center on Actual Innocence represents Long and has argued that evidence before his conviction should have cleared him.
A judge ordered DNA testing this week in the case of Esdras Cardona, a client of the Innocence Project of Florida.
Exoneree Steve Barnes spoke Tuesday in Albany before a New York State Bar committee investigating wrongful convictions and reforms to prevent future injustice. "I always believed in the system but the system failed me," Barnes said. Innocence Project Policy Director Stephen Saloom also testified about reforms supported the by the Innocence Project.
The Mississippi House of Representatives is considering a bill that would require law enforcement agencies to preserve DNA evidence in criminal convictions as long as the convicted person is incarcerated or under state supervision.
Exonerees, attorneys, students and policymakers from around the country will come together in Houston next month for the annual Innocence Network Conference. Learn more about the three-day event and register to attend here.
Tags: North Carolina, Steven Barnes
New York Lags on Reforms
Posted: June 8, 2009 6:35 pm
An Innocence Project report released today finds that New York outpaces almost every other state in the number of wrongful convictions overturned by DNA testing but has fallen behind others in reforms to prevent future injustice. And diverse voices across the state have called on lawmakers to act this session to address wrongful convictions.
Westchester Journal News columnist Noreen O’Donnell wrote today that it would be a shame if reforms were delayed again in New York by further study. Sylvia Barnes Bouchard, the mother of New York exoneree Steven Barnes, wrote in the Syracuse Post-Standard that the injustice suffered by her son – and his family – can be avoided by critical reforms.
Right now, Gov. David Paterson and leaders in the state Legislature are deciding whether to make our justice system more fair, accurate and reliable so that law enforcement can identify the guilty and protect the innocent. The current legislative session ends later this month, and our elected officials can adopt critical reforms before then to prevent wrongful convictions that devastate individuals' lives, families and entire communities.Steven is one of 24 people in New York wrongfully convicted and then exonerated with DNA testing. These cases are just the tip of the iceberg, since DNA testing is possible in just a tiny fraction of cases. But the exonerations show how our criminal justice system has failed, and how it can be fixed.Read her full column here. (Syracuse Post-Standard, 06/07/09)And individuals across the state are writing to state leaders urging them to take action on these reforms during this session. If you’re in New York, please write to your lawmakers now.
Tags: Steven Barnes
Forensics Series Continues Tonight on CNN
Posted: August 20, 2009 3:15 pm
CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” has been investigating questions about forensic disciplines in a special series on forensics this week. Last night, CNN contributor Sanjay Gupta visited the Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab to report on hair analysis, bullet analysis and DNA testing practices. Watch video of his visit here.
And CNN medical producer Stephanie Smith posted on the AC360 blog today about Innocence Project client Steven Barnes and the role of unvalidated forensics in wrongful convictions.
The show continues tonight at 10 p.m. ET with a report on Dr. Steven Hayne in Mississippi, who has been accused of reaching conclusions that go beyond science to fit what prosecutors need to secure convictions. Tonight's broadcast will feature an interview with Tyler Edmonds, who was sentenced to death row partly as a result of Hayne's testimony. Edmonds was released after the Mississippi Supreme Court threw out his conviction -- in a ruling that called Hayne's testimony "scientifically unfounded."
Two Innocence Project clients were exonerated last year after Hayne's testimony contributed to their wrongful convictions; read more about their cases here.
Learn about recommendations for forensic reform and take action at the Just Science website.
Tags: Steven Barnes, Kennedy Brewer, Forensic Oversight, Unvalidated/Improper Forensics
You Can Free the Innocent
Posted: September 11, 2009 4:10 pm
This week at the Innocence Project, we kicked off a campaign to raise $25,000 in the next two weeks for DNA testing in our clients’ cases. We currently have more than 250 active cases, and we’re committed to paying for DNA testing whenever it has the potential to prove innocence in a client’s case. We can’t do it without your help, however. Please donate today – 100% of gifts between now and September 23 will go toward DNA testing for our clients.
We spend about $8,500 on DNA testing in an average case, but some cases can cost much more than that. Multiple pieces of crime scene evidence often need to be tested, and sometimes retested using cutting-edge technologies.
Steven Barnes was exonerated earlier this year after spending nearly two decades behind bars for a murder he didn’t commit. Complicated DNA testing in his case finally proved his innocence, but it cost over $20,000 to complete. We couldn’t have freed Steven without the support of generous Innocence Project donors, and we truly appreciate the help we receive from around the world.
Please donate today to help overturn wrongful convictions through DNA testing.
Help us spread the word:
Share the campaign link on Facebook.
Post the campaign link to Twitter.
Tags: Steven Barnes
One Year Later, Still Discovering Freedom
Posted: November 25, 2009 1:25 pm
A year ago today, Steve Barnes walked out of an upstate New York courtroom a free man for the first time in more than two decades. Today, as the Utica Observer-Dispatch reports in a feature story, Barnes is building a new life and making the most of every day.
Barnes says he didn’t let himself become bitter over the past as he spent the past year discovering a new world beyond the gates of prison. He knows he’ll never be able to salvage the years he lost, but that hasn’t stopped him from making the best of every day he’s had since Nov. 25, 2008.News 10 Syracuse also aired a story today on the first anniversary of Barnes’ freedom – watch here.
For Barnes, that’s meant earning a driver’s license, getting a job with Oneida County Workforce Development, getting his own apartment along River Road, starting a relationship, and just getting behind the wheel of his new Toyota Tundra truck to drive as far as he wants.
“The main thing is to just go out and do my own thing, and not be told what to do,” Barnes said.
Just like the song that has become Barnes’s favorite since being freed: Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’.”
Then, with a snap of his finger, Barnes said, “This year went by like that.”
Read the full story. (Utica Observer-Dispatch, 11/21/2009)
Barnes was convicted in 1989 in Oneida County, New York of a murder he didn’t commit, based on questionable eyewitness identifications, informant testimony and unvalidated forensics.
The Innocence Project began representing Barnes in 1993, the organization’s second year of existence, and secured DNA testing on his behalf in 1996. Unfortunately, DNA testing technology was still in its infancy and the results were inconclusive. It would be another decade before the Innocence Project reopened the case and obtained access to retesting. Y-STR tests, a newly developed technology, revealed a profile of the perpetrator, proving Barnes’ innocence. Based on these results, his conviction was tossed out and he was freed November 25, 2008.
Photo: Utica Observer-Dispatch
Tags: Steven Barnes
Improper Forensics and Two Decades in Prison
Posted: January 8, 2010 10:40 am
In 1989, Steven Barnes was convicted of the rape and murder of 16-year-old Kimberly Simon in Utica, New York. The prosecution's case against Barnes was based in part on unvalidated and improper forensic science. After serving almost two decades in prison, Barnes was officially exonerated one year ago this week
Today, Barnes works helps oversee a youth program for his county's workforce development office and recently moved into his own apartment. He frequently speaks to community groups and policymakers about the importance of addressing the causes of wrongful conviction to prevent injustice.
Faulty forensics were a central cause of Barnes' wrongful conviction. Three types of forensic evidence were used against Barnes: fabric print analysis, soil comparison, and microscopic hair analysis. None of these three techniques has been proven in empirical studies to be reliable and aspects of this evidence clearly misled the jury in Barnes' case.
The fabric print analysis allegedly linked the victim's unusual jeans to a dust print on the outside of Barnes' truck, but the methods used to determine a link were unproven and unreliable. Soil from Barnes truck was chemically compared to soil at the crime scene, but technicians didn't offer an analysis of whether the soil in either sample was particularly unique.
Testimony regarding microscopic hair comparisons in particular can mislead juries to believe that a similarly is actually a "match." According to a report released in 2009 by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), "No scientifically accepted statistics exist about the frequency with which particular characteristics of hair are distributed in the population. There appears to be no uniform standards on the number of features on which hairs must agree before an examiner may declare a 'match.'" Nearly one in five wrongful convictions overturned through DNA testing involved faulty hair analysis.
Despite the groundbreaking recent NAS report on forensic science, there remains a grievous lack of oversight of crime labs across the country. Moreover, methodologies and standards vary by examiner. Countless innocent people have been sent to prison in the U.S. based on faulty forensics while the real perpetrators of crimes remain free. In response, the Innocence Project, spearheading the Just Science Coalition, has developed a plan for reform that includes the creation of a national Office of Forensic Science Improvement and Support (OFSIS). OFSIS, with input from law enforcement, prosecutors, crime laboratories, the judiciary and the defense bar, will support research in forensics practices, set mandatory accreditation and certification standards and ensure compliance with those standards.
These reforms are critical to prevent future injustices like the one endured by Steven Barnes. Learn more about federal forensic reforms and take action here.
Other Exoneree Anniversaries This Week:
Mark Diaz Bravo, California (Served 3 Years, Exonerated 1/6/94)
David Vasquez, Virginia (Served 4 Years, Exonerated 1/4/89)
Larry Holdren, West Virginia (Served 15 Years, Exonerated 1/4/00)
Tags: Steven Barnes, Forensic Oversight
Tune In: Exonerees on Dr. Phil and America’s Most Wanted
Posted: March 10, 2010 4:00 pm
Illinois exoneree Dean Cage will appear on “Dr. Phil” tomorrow, March 11, in a third installment about wrongful convictions. The host will be checking in with Cage and the victim who misidentified him over a decade ago. She first identified Cage as her attacker after the police department created a sketch of the perpetrator and then brought Cage to a grocery store so the victim could identify him. Officers then conducted another lineup at the police station, where the victim identified Cage by the sound of his voice. The show united them on-air last month for the first time since he was wrongfully convicted of a rape he didn’t commit in 1986. Cage, an Innocence Project client, spent nearly 12 years in prison and was exonerated on May 27, 2008. “Dr. Phil” is a syndicated program; please check your local listings for the station and time.
Read more about Dean Cage’s here.
For more information on the “Dr. Phil” program, click here.
New York exoneree Steven Barnes will be featured on “America’s Most Wanted” this Saturday, March 13. The program focuses on searching for the real perpetrator in the rape and murder of Kimberly Simon, for which Barnes was wrongfully convicted in 1989. His conviction was the result of eyewitness misidentification and unvalidated forensic science. The supervising criminalist testified that she conducted a photographic overlay of Simon’s jeans and an imprint on Barnes’ truck and determined the patterns were similar. She also testified that two hairs collected from the truck were similar to the victim’s hairs. The lab compared soil samples taken from his vehicle with dirt samples from the crime scene a year after the murder and stated that they had similar characteristics. Fabric print analysis, microscopic hair analysis and soil comparison and have not been scientifically validated. Represented by the Innocence Project, Barnes was exonerated 20 years later on January 9, 2009. The segment will include interviews with Barnes and his mother, details about his exoneration and information about the unsolved crime. “Americas Most Wanted” airs Saturday night at 9 p.m. on FOX.
Read more about Steven Barnes case here.
For more information on the program, click here.
Eyewitness misidentification is the single greatest cause of wrongful convictions nationwide, playing a role in more than 75% of convictions overturned through DNA testing. Learn about eyewitness identification reform here.
Unvalidated or improper forensic science is a leading cause of wrongful convictions. In approximately 50% of the DNA exonerations nationwide, unvalidated or improper forensic science contributed to the underlying wrongful conviction. Learn about unvalidated or improper forensic science here.
Tags: Steven Barnes, Dean Cage
Friday Roundup: Life After Exoneration
Posted: October 8, 2010 3:11 pm
William Dillon, who spent 26 years behind bars before DNA evidence exonerated him, talks about writing and performing his own songs.
"Conviction" opens next Friday, October 15, in select theaters nationwide. Get advance screening passes here and learn more about the story behind the film.
Tags: Steven Barnes, Joseph White
Victim's Family Seeks Answers in Wrongful Conviction Case
Posted: October 25, 2010 4:40 pm
On September 18, 1985, Simon, then 16-years-old, left her home to meet a friend. The next day, her body was found near the side of a dirt road.
Barnes became a suspect based on vague statements from eyewitnesses who claimed to have seen his distinctive truck around the time Simon was last seen alive.
Since being exonerated, Barnes told the Observer-Dispatch that he continues to have a positive attitude about life despite being wrongfully convicted.
Yet Barnes and his mother, Sylvia Bouchard, still occasionally seethe with resentment toward those investigators with the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office that they blame for ruining Barnes’ life and denying closure for the Simon family.
When someone is wrongfully convicted, the victim and their family are wronged too. In fact, crime victims and their families have become important allies in the fight to prevent wrongful conviction.
Christy Sheppard grew up believing that Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz raped and murdered her cousin Debra Sue Carter. The two had been convicted of the crime in 1988, with Fritz receiving a life sentence and Williamson being sentenced to death. Then, 17 years later, DNA testing exonerated Fritz and Williamson and implicated another man in the crime. Carter’s family didn’t know what to believe. But over time, Sheppard’s disbelief turned into resolve to fix the system. She became part of a growing and critical component of the innocence movement: crime victims and their families who want to address and prevent wrongful convictions.
Read about Christy Sheppard.
Read Barnes’ case profile, and watch a video interview with Barnes below.
Tags: Steven Barnes, Dennis Fritz, Ron Williamson
Spending Thanksgiving at Home
Posted: November 25, 2010 9:15 am
And while DNA testing has exonerated 261 people in the U.S., there are countless other innocent people spending today behind bars. The list of cases in which there is no evidence to test, or where access to that evidence has been denied, is seemingly endless. It is impossible to exonerate every innocent person in prison – only through proven reforms can we prevent wrongful convictions from happening in the first place.
This Thanksgiving, we’re thankful for the supporters around the world who help us fight wrongful convictions and for the thousands of advocates fighting injustice in their communities. Please join us today in taking action to overturn injustice and to fix our criminal justice system to prevent wrongful convictions in the future.
Tags: Steven Barnes
Friday Roundup: Misconduct, Compensation and the Death Penalty
Posted: January 21, 2011 5:24 pm
Illinois governor Pat Quinn wants to hear from constituents before deciding whether or not to approve a bill abolishing the death penalty.
A federal judge today sentenced former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge to 4.5 years in prison for perjury relating to his role in the torture of suspects during his 23 years on the force. Several people who were convicted based on confessions coerced under Burge’s watch have since been cleared.
Paul Hildwin, a Florida death row prisoner, is seeking to have DNA evidence in his case compared to state and federal databases for possible evidence of a different perpetrator. The Innocence Project has consulted on Hildwin’s case for seven years.
Tags: Steven Barnes, Government Misconduct, Death Penalty
Exoneree Speaker Steven Barnes Visits Alaska
Posted: November 8, 2011 5:47 pm
Tags: Steven Barnes