DNA test may prove dead man's innocence (Va. Gov. Warner orders)

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article336988.ece

For the first time, a US state governor has ordered new DNA testing in the case of an executed murderer. If the tests prove the killer's innocence, it would be a colossal boost for the anti-death penalty movement here.

The convicted killer is Roger Keith Coleman, who died in Virginia's electric chair in 1992 for the rape and murder of his sister-in-law a decade earlier. Until the moment of his execution, Coleman insisted he was innocent.

The case attracted huge attention at the time but Virginia's then governor Douglas Wilder allowed the execution to go ahead after Coleman failed a last-minute lie detector test.

Previous tests have indicated that Coleman was among a 2 per cent group of the US population that could have committed the crime. A hair on the victim's body was identified as similar to his, while he had a previous conviction for attempted rape.

It will be interesting to see what happens.

of posts made Jan 2 and Jan 5th

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2016720

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2023969