Chicago
For the 200th time since genetic evidence was first admitted for use in U.S. courts, a convict has been cleared because DNA testing proved he couldn’t have committed the crime for which he was accused. An Illinois judge this week exonerated Jerry Miller, 48, of all charges relating to a brutal 1981 rape. The Innocence Project, a nonprofit group that pursues appeals on behalf of prisoners it believes were wrongly convicted, persuaded Chicago police to test Miller’s DNA against evidence found at the crime scene. The test cleared Miller, who was paroled in 2006 after serving 25 years. As a result of this week’s order, Miller will no longer be required to register as a sex offender.
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