Convicted man whose innocence was proved by DNA testing
Convicted of a 1982 rape and murder in Ada, Oklahoma and sentenced to life in prison in 1987, DNA testing proved his innocence in 1999 and he was released from prison
PROFILE
Dennis Fritz
Guest
FROM Dennis Fritz
To the Point
DNA Testing and the Exoneration of the Innocent Since 1989, some 200 criminal convicts have been exonerated by DNA testing, some within days of execution. In 75 percent of those cases, the major flaw was eyewitness identification. Many of those exonerated were the result of the work of the Innocence Project at the Benjamin Cardozo Law School at New York’s Yeshiva University. Prosecutors all over the country are paying attention and, faced with hard evidence of wrongful convictions, 20 states and some 500 local jurisdictions are redoubling their efforts to guarantee justice for all. We look at eyewitness identification and police interrogations that lead to confessions.
Recommended
To the Point
Will the Senate write a healthcare bill in secret? While Democrats and Republicans argue White House relations with Russia, another question is being decided behind closed doors: who gets help buying health insurance and who doesn't? We hear how the pros and cons are being shrouded in secrecy.
Left, Right & Center
President Trump: US to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord Trump says he was elected to serve Pittsburgh, not Paris.
To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
To the Point
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?