Arkansas Officials Agree to Test the DNA and Fingerprint Evidence in Ledell Lee’s Case
01.31.20 By Innocence Staff
![Members of Ledell Lee’s family and legal team, from left: John E. Tull (Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC), Cassandra Stubbs (ACLU), Nina Morrison (Innocence Project), Shantel Young (sister of Ledell Lee), Stella Young (mother of Ledell Lee), Patricia Young (sister of Ledell Lee), Kaitlin Welborn (Hogan Lovells US LLP), Olivia Ensign (ACLU), and Hollly Dickson (ACLU of Arkansas), following the filing of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit in state court on behalf of Patricia Young in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Jan. 23, 2020. [Matt White/Innocence Project]](https://innocenceproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/IMG_3075-scaled-1.jpg)
Members of Ledell Lee’s family and legal team, from left: John E. Tull (Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC), Cassandra Stubbs (ACLU), Nina Morrison (Innocence Project), Shantel Young (sister of Ledell Lee), Stella Young (mother of Ledell Lee), Patricia Young (sister of Ledell Lee), Kaitlin Welborn (Hogan Lovells US LLP), Olivia Ensign (ACLU), and Hollly Dickson (ACLU of Arkansas), following the filing of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit in state court on behalf of Patricia Young in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Jan. 23, 2020. [Matt White/Innocence Project]
Tonight, the Jacksonville Mayor and City Council agreed to conduct testing of the DNA and fingerprint evidence in the case of Ledell Lee. They have signed an order drafted by the Innocence Project, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and law firm Hogan Lovells to immediately allow for DNA and fingerprint analysis in response to the lawsuit filed on January 23rd.
“We are grateful that the City of Jacksonville has agreed to release the evidence needed to proceed with critical DNA and fingerprint analysis in the case of Ledell Lee,” said Innocence Project Senior Litigation Counsel Nina Morrison. “The search to uncover the truth about Debra Reese’s murder is in the interest of justice for all parties and for the public at large. We look forward to working with the City to conduct this new testing as soon as possible.”
Related: What You Should Know About Ledell Lee’s Case and Execution
SHAME and PENALTY should blanket ALL involved in denying a review of faulty and/or questionable evidence.