A Virginia man who was convicted of a 1976 abduction of a woman and her two children was exonerated Friday when his writ of actual innocence was granted by the Virginia Supreme Court after DNA testing excluded him from evidence found on the woman's clothing. The DNA evidence that proved Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project client Garry Diamond's innocence was uncovered by the Virginia Department of Forensic Science's ongoing review of old case files that contain biological evidence, reported the Associated Press.
"It's another DNA exoneration out of Virginia, which goes to show that unfortunately there have been far more errors than people realize," said Diamond's lawyer, Shawn Armbrust of the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project.
According to Armbrust, the state's review of old cases has now led to eight overturned convictions. Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli office supported Diamond's petition for a writ of actual innocence. Read the full article. Read more about Virginia DNA exonerations.
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