DNA evidence exonerates man after 20 years in prison

Twenty years after being convicted of a rape and murder he said he did not commit, Baltimore prosecutors today dropped new charges against James L. Owens, making him the seventh person in Maryland to have been exonerated by new testing of old DNA evidence. Standing in handcuffs, blue jeans and a blue corrections shirt with B.C.D.C. printed on the back, Owens showed no emotions as prosecutor Mark Cohen explained why he was dropping the charges. Five witnesses were dead; the man who fingered him, whose conviction in this case is on appeal, recanted almost immediately after the trial; and police had destroyed the physical evidence in the case, including the alleged murder weapon and pubic hair found on the victim. "Look at the costs to the system when it's revealed that the wrong person was convicted," Owens attorney Stephen B. Mercer said. More... Prisoner Pen Pals - Discount Cigarettes - Discount Magazine Subscriptions for Prisoners