Tuesday, April 06, 2004

New DNA tests in the Earl Washington case

Lawyers for Earl Washington are claiming new DNA testing show that he is innocent, according to this report ("DNA Tests Clear Ex-Va. Inmate, Lawyers Say," 4/6/04) in the Washington Post. Washington's lawyers claim that the Virginia state forensic lab committed serious errors regarding DNA testing.

The DNA expert cited by Washington's lawyers is Edward Blake, who is most famous for his involvement in the O.J. Simpson case and the Roger Keith Coleman case. In the Coleman case, Coleman's lawyers found themselves in the position of trying to impeach the conclusions of their own expert Blake, conclusions which were cited by Judge Williams in denying post-conviction relief. See Coleman v. Thompson, 798 F. Supp. 1209 (W.D. Va. 1992).

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